Skyline
by Xinlatus
Summary: [Mini summary edited] Sasuke's father was killed by Naruto. But he was falsely accused of doing it. He was wounded and on the run. Accepting the fact that he is going to die, Sasuke was saved by a pink fairy. Full summary in my profile. AU. Slightly OOC. Rated M for sexual contents, murders and violence.
1. Uchiha Itachi

**A/N: Written quite some times ago. Still working on the 3rd ch. draft.**

**\- I don't own 'Naruto' characters and the world. Note that I have created some other fictional characters, only them belongs to me.**

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The war was cruel. Many countries tried to defend themselves, forgetting the small villages around them. Losing some village was nothing compared to losing one country. That was the fate fell upon one small village at the outskirt of Fire Country. Forgotten, abandoned and fell as a victim. Thousands of people died.

The Uchiha brothers lost their parents overnight. And Naruto too, he stayed with the brothers. Uchiha Itachi as the eldest had to carry the responsibility as a mother and father for Sasuke and Naruto. He was just 13 years old and is very young himself. Itachi had to quit school and worked to support them. Naruto and Sasuke were just 7 years old and they only know how to cry, whine and fight with each other.

"Sasuke, Naruto... dinner is ready" Itachi called out for the boys. He just came back from the main city, Konoha, where he sold his crops there. The two boys ran as fast as they could as they compete to get to the kitchen first. "Nahh...haha... I win!" exclaimed Naruto as he arrived first at the dining table. Little Sasuke pouted a little. It's just that he hated it to compete with Naruto but the blondie would not quit it. "Don't run around. You'll hurt yourself" said Itachi while he handed the rice bowl to the boys.

"I hope next time we can have a pork ramen... no, a table full of nice food will do" said Naruto suddenly as he observed the very simple meal on the table. Itachi felt terrible at this but he could do nothing as he could not afford more than that. "No, I want _umebashi_. I used to eat that a lot... when mom and dad are still here..." said Sasuke. Itachi felt hurt inside, listening to the boys. "Let us eat our dinner now. It's getting colder" said Itachi. Then they eat in silence.

The next day, Itachi had his day off; he went to his little vegetable garden. The garden was at their backyard. He was busy pulling off the weed when someone approached him. "Itachi-kun..." a girl came from behind. Itachi smiled to the young lady. "I want to give this. I cooked it myself" said the girl while she handed over the bowl. It was a bowl of chicken curry. "Thanks Yuki. I don't have anything to give you" said Itachi as he stood up and wiped his hands with his shirt before he received the bowl.

"It's okay. I purposely cook extra to give you guys. You told me last time that Naruto loves this" she chuckled. Itachi smiled to the girl. She was a daughter of a farmer at the end of the road but now she lived with her grandmother only as she too became orphan because of the war.

"The boys sure are happy to see this. I'm sorry I've always burdening you. With the babysitting, and now even cooking for us" said Itachi. "It's fine with me... I'm glad I can help you with this many things, Itachi-kun" the girl blushed. She did have a soft spot for the guy. They then walked back home, to Itachi's home. Sasuke and Naruto were thrilled to see their brother.

"Nii-san... you're home" greeted Sasuke with his usual coy smile, while Naruto gave him a big grin. "Yes, and Yuki nee-san here brought you guys some chicken curry" he told the boys, making them jumped of joy. "Thanks for the curry nee-san" said Naruto as he took his seat at the dinner table. "Have lunch with us here, Yuki" said Itachi as he served the lunch to his little brothers. "Ah, thank you. But I've had my lunch. I think I'll leave now" said Yuki.

Itachi went to send the girl off. "Umm... If you're free this evening, you can come at my garden. We can... like, chat or something" said Itachi as he put a smile on his lips. Yuki blushed and nodded slightly before she left. "I want that nee-san to be my mother" said Naruto. Itachi was rather shocked by his statement but simply smiled. "She's too young to be your mother" answered Sasuke. "I'm just saying. I like her..." said Naruto.

Later that evening, Yuki watched Itachi as he worked on his garden. "You can rest awhile and have this tea" said Yuki as she brought some tea with her. Itachi cleaned himself a bit with a small towel before he took a seat next to Yuki. "Thanks" he said as he took a sip of the hot tea. "You work so hard at this age. When you're older, I bet you'll have all this back pain" teased Yuki. Itachi smiled at her. "Then I'll need you to plough the soil for me and take care of my garden" he said. Yuki pouted. "I won't do this work. Not this one" muttered Yuki. "Why not? You like seeing me working at my garden though" said Itachi, eyeing the blushing girl. Yuki did not answer.

"I feel sad seeing you like this" said Yuki suddenly. Itachi turned to her. "You can have better future and not work yourself hard like this, if not because of the war" said the girl, her eyebrows furrowed deeply. Itachi sighed. "It's not like I could choose. This is all I can do now" said Itachi, looking far away across the land. The wind blew as they stayed silence for awhile.

"I... I like you, Itachi-kun. That's why my heart aches when I see you. I could not..." Yuki did not finish her words. Her tears dropped. The guy next to her just kept silent and stared at the girl. "I know. But I can't help you with this feeling of yours. Not now" he simply said. Yuki bit her lip. She kept getting the same answer from the guy. "I have a lot of things to do for now. Maybe someday I'll be able to erase the pain in your heart" said Itachi as he softly touched the girl's hand. Yuki nodded.


	2. Secret

**Disclaimer: Standard**

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Years passed and it's 5 years since the war. Sasuke and Naruto were both 12 years old now and they helped Itachi a lot in farming, while Itachi only went to the main city to sell their crops. "I'll get going now, be good" said Itachi as he carried the crops to be sold at the market in Konoha. "Tch...We're not kids anymore, nii-san..." said Sasuke as he pulled a sour face. "Have a safe journey" said Naruto. Itachi waved to them and walked away.

Itachi spent most of the day at the market. After the sell, Itachi packed his stuffs, ready to go back home. On his way back, he stopped at a medicine store. He bought some medicine. As hard as things could be, Itachi kept falling ill lately. He had to put away some cash to buy the medicine. He started to get chest pain several weeks ago and he realised that the pain came and go. Especially when the night is cold, the pain could go worst and he even coughing blood at some point. Itachi ignored this as he thought that he was just tired. Even Sasuke and Naruto were not aware of this as Itachi would not let them know and worry about him.

"You're late nii-san" complained Sasuke as Itachi entered the house. It was almost dark. "I'm sorry, I thought I wanted to take my time walking back" said Itachi as he approached the dinner table. Simple dinner was served. "Come on, I'm hungry. The food is also getting colder" said Naruto as his stomach grumbled. They have their simple dinner and chat a little.

"Yuki, did she come today?" asked Itachi. Both of his brothers looked at each other. "Nah... She didn't come" said Naruto. "I see..." Itachi seemed disturbed. It had been a while since he last seen the girl. "I heard that Yuki nee-san is going to the city" said Sasuke. "Where do you hear this?" asked Naruto. "From Hanami, when he came by yesterday" answered Sasuke. Itachi simply listened to them. "Why is she going there?" asked Itachi. "Well, I heard that Mina-occhan brought her there" answered Sasuke.

Itachi stopped eating. He had this uneasy feeling. Yuki was a bit reserved since her grandmother died last year and now Mina-occhan, or best known as Mina matchmaker, had brought her to the city. "What's wrong nii-san?" asked Sasuke as he noticed the disturbed Itachi. "When are they going to the city?" he then asked. "Umm...I think its two days ago" said Sasuke. Unconsciously, Itachi gripped hard on his chopstick. "Nii-san?" asked Sasuke. Naruto too stopped eating as Itachi simply get off his chair and leave them. "I'm done" he said and entered his room.

Itachi felt heavy in his chest, he too was not sure if it the chest pain or it's just his feeling of sadness. _"Yuki...couldn't be that you..."_ he thought and lots of thought ran through his head. All of Yuki's faces and words lingering. He exasperated. Later that night, Itachi could not bring his eyes to sleep. He kept on thinking about Yuki. He refused to believe that Yuki went to the city with Mina for some matchmaking. Itachi did not approved of the feeling he had for her but it was hard to think that she will stop smiling for him but to someone else.

Few days later, Itachi was resting at a hut while his brothers doing the work at the garden. Yuki unexpectedly came, to Itachi's joy. "Hi, long time no see" greeted Itachi. Yuki had grown up to be a pretty young lady. She took a seat next to Itachi. "I'm sorry I haven't come lately to visit you guys. I was just busy with some other things" she said. Itachi could not help it but to feel a little bit annoyed. "Yes, you could have at least told me. Like the old time" he said.

Yuki observed the guy next to her. "Mina-occhan...she brought me for matchmaking in the city" said Yuki. Itachi sighed. "So... how did it go?" he muttered. "Umm... It went pretty well" said Yuki. Itachi immediately turned to the lady. "I met lots of good guys...and some..." "Stop it" said Itachi, cutting off Yuki's word. The young lady was startled. "I... I don't want to know about the guy. I want to know about you" he said, staring deeply into Yuki's eyes. The lady was a little bit intimidated.

"Wh-What about me, Itachi-kun?" she asked. "Are you... going to marry soon?" he asked in lowered voice. "I don't know yet. I've just met him once" she said. Itachi felt painful in his chest, it's unbearable. It hurts so much he wanted to wail in pain. "Good for you, Yuki. I hope you're happy" he forced a smile. Yuki bit her lips in disappointment. She really hopes that Itachi would get angry and stopped her to marry someone else. "I... I think I'll get going" said Yuki as she hurriedly left the place. Itachi felt devastated.

The days went on with Itachi and Yuki on the not speaking term. And Itachi's sickness get the better of him that one cold night, during the autumn, he could not sleep as he coughed hard. "Nii-san, are you okay?" asked Sasuke, as he and Naruto could not sleep too. "I'm...I'm fine. Don't worry. Just a cold, I think" said Itachi. He had finished his medicine days ago and could not buy new supply as their crops did not sell well. Furthermore, the season made the production low that it is enough for them only.

The whole night, Sasuke and Naruto attended to their brother. They only thought that Itachi was tired and having a bad cold. Far from the truth, Itachi actually suffered much more terrible illness. The next day, Itachi did not go to the garden. Only the youngsters worked on the field, though the crops were not for sell anyway. So Itachi went to Yuki's home just to visit her and chat. It's been awhile since they last talk to each other.

Knocking on the door for awhile, Yuki opened up in surprise. "Itachi-kun, what are you doing here?" she asked. "Well, I just wanna see you" said Itachi. Yuki invited him in. "How are you doing?" asked Itachi, while Yuki serving him some tea. "Fine, I'm just visiting the city more often now. That's why I seldom have the time to visit you guys" said Yuki. Itachi was down again. "Oh, you're meeting with the guy? " he asked. "No, silly. I'm taking a class in the city" answered Yuki, chuckling a little.

Itachi felt as if a heavy burdened has been lifted from his shoulder. "I see..." he simply said. "So, how are you doing? You don't look so well" said Yuki as she got closer and observing Itachi. "Umm... I'm not well lately. Caught a cold" said Itachi. His breathing fastened as Yuki gets closer. "I think I should prepare some medicine for you. You look terrible" she said and about to get up when Itachi held her hand. "I'm fine. Don't bother about that. I just want to be with you here" he said. "Itachi-kun, no. Your health is important too" said Yuki. But Itachi insisted that she should just stay.

"I have something to tell you. So I hope you could listen to me carefully" said Itachi. Yuki could feel that it was nothing good, yet she was right. "I don't have much time left. It's not just a cold, I'm really sick" he continued. Yuki gaped at what she just heard. "Then we should find a good doctor for you... or get a good medicine" said Yuki, worryingly. Itachi shook his head lightly. "No, it will just waste a lot of money and even time. I don't have that much time anyway" he jokingly answered. Yuki's expression did not change a bit. "Hey, this is why I don't want to tell you earlier. I'll have to see this worried face of you longer" he chuckled.

"It's not funny, Itachi-kun" said Yuki, caressing Itachi's cheek. "I will do anything I could, you know that I will" she added. "Then, help me keep this a secret from the boys" said Itachi, holding Yuki's hands. The young lady hesitated at first but after a while, she agreed. "But I don't promise that I will keep this secret forever" she said, frowning. Itachi simply nodded.

"You... you always make me sad, Itachi-kun" said Yuki as she pulled away. Itachi sighed. "I'm sorry. And please don't cry" he said as the lady had tears puddle in her eyes. "I've always loved you and now..." she sobbed. The guy was a bit surprised with her confession. Although she did mentioned it when they were young, but this time it struck differently within Itachi. "Yuki... I... I like you too, you know..." muttered Itachi. Yuki immediately stopped sobbing and she looked at the guy deeply. "Umm... I like you, Yuki" Itachi repeated. The lady was wide eyes and she could felt a spark in her chest.

"I thought... you never like me" said Yuki, starting to sob again. Itachi shook his head slowly. "It's not me the one who went to matchmaking, isn't it?" he jokingly answered. Yuki pouted. "That's because I thought..." Yuki was then cut off by Itachi, "It's okay, I understand. Now you know my feeling so, are we good?" he asked. Yuki smiled and nodded. She was then gave Itachi a little kiss on the lips, making the raven haired guy frozen in surprised. His eyes widen for seconds.

Blushes madly, Yuki turned away and covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry, Itachi-kun. So sorry" she muttered. He had no idea of what to do. "Umm... thank you, I guess" he said. Yuki turned to him, pouted. "You should... kiss me back... or something..." she bit her lips. Unconsciously, Itachi nodded. He then replied the kiss with a much longer one and they engaged in the intense kiss for a while.

"That was... great" muttered Itachi after they broke the kiss. Yuki still blushes madly. "I don't think we should kiss anymore" said Itachi. Yuki chuckled, "So, you're a shy guy." "Ah, Yuki, I think I should get back home. The boys must be looking for me right now" said Itachi. Yuki send him off, with a smile carved on her face.

For awhile, Itachi seems to forget his illness when Yuki is around. He felt much better with her. His heart beat faster in joy as he walked home. _"Will it last forever? Like this?"_ he thought.


	3. Separation

**Disclaimer: Standard**

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"We're done here. Let's go home, Sasuke" said Naruto while he packing his stuffs. "Sasuke... your bag—" He then realised that Sasuke was not doing any packing. He was not there to be exact. Looking around, Naruto spotted him among the crowd. The raven haired guy was joining the crowd, in front of the information board.

Pouted a little, Naruto packed the stuffs and carried it all before he made his way to Sasuke. "What is it?" asked Naruto as he stood beside Sasuke. It was a flyer about recruiting young men all over the country to join the police force. Naruto then turned his gaze onto Sasuke. The blondie realised that Sasuke was actually in deep thought.

"Are you interested?" asked Naruto. Sasuke pulled away from the board, he grabbed his bags from Naruto and simply walked away. "Cehh... what's wrong with him?" Naruto mumbled. He then followed Sasuke. They both went home.

Later that night, Naruto was busy rambling about things happened the whole day in the city. Then suddenly Sasuke cut him off, "I want to take law class". Naruto abruptly stopped; he and Itachi turned their attention to Sasuke. The young Uchiha deeply stare into his brother's eyes, only to receive a cold glance. Itachi did not say anything, he continued eating.

"Nii-san..." said Sasuke, trying to get attention from his brother. "No" said Itachi simply. Then, the moment went silent for a few cold minutes. Naruto could felt the stressed in between the brothers, he tried to untangle it. "We... We could take the class next year, when we save enough money. Right?" said the blondie, trying to convince Sasuke. But the guy did not flinch. He locked his eyes onto his ignorance brother.

"Nii-san, I know you won't agree. But this is what I want to do" said Sasuke. "I can't afford it. You know it well" said Itachi, while starting to clean up. Sasuke let out a small sigh, his eyebrows furrowed a bit. Naruto has lost his appetite too, he stopped eating. "Come on, Sasuke. This is so sudden. Is this about the flyer earlier today?" said Naruto, raising an eyebrow to the matter. Sasuke simply ignored him, but focusing on Itachi, that was busy cleaning up.

"I can work while studying" Sasuke continued to beg. "That will do too" Naruto nodded, crossing his arms, thinking of supporting Sasuke's idea. However, Sasuke turned him down. "Don't interfere, Naruto!" exclaimed Sasuke. "Whaaat?!" Naruto almost jumped off the seat. "I'm trying to back you up, you know!" he said, angrily. Itachi peeked on them from the kitchen.

"I know what I'm doing!" said Sasuke and he walked to the kitchen too. "Nii-san...you heard what I said just now don't you?" he asked, standing in front of the door. Itachi sighed a little; he looked at his younger brother. "I don't want you or even Naruto to burden yourself. It's hard enough for me right now, Sasuke" he said.

"That's why I said I'll work!" Sasuke raised his voice a little. Maybe he tried to convince Itachi. Maybe he was angry. "I don't want to live like this anymore. I— I don't want to burden you anymore" said Sasuke. His voice lowered a little. "But working while studying is not easy. I just don't want you to suffer" said Itachi. Sasuke grasped his hands tightly in anger. He then stormed away, leaving the place. Naruto stayed silent, seeing that Itachi was trouble.

In his room, Itachi thought about what Sasuke said earlier, "_I don't want to live like this anymore._" Itachi sat down in his old study table, counting the money he saved up in the envelope while looking at the remaining medicines he had left. "_Maybe Sasuke is right. We can't keep living like this"_ he thought. Looking out the broken window, "I should go talk to Sasuke" Itachi sat up and was about to leave his room when suddenly a sharp pain felt in his chest.

Both Sasuke and Naruto were awakened. Itachi was coughing hard and vomited blood. The medicine did not relieve him anymore. "I'll go and ask help from Yuki nee-san" said Naruto and he left. Upon hearing the news, Yuki rushed to see Itachi. She knew that Itachi's sickness has worsened. "I think we better call the village doctor" she said. Sasuke and Naruto nodded in agreement.

Through the cold night, with only the dim lamp light, Sasuke and Naruto walked to the other end of the village. Sasuke felt terrible for what he said during dinner that night. He took it as his fault that Itachi falling ill. "Sasuke, it's not your fault, okay" said Naruto suddenly, as if he knew what Sasuke was thinking about. The raven haired guy looked at him. "I'm just saying, you know. I feel bad too" Naruto added. Sasuke then lead their way.

Not long after, they managed to get the doctor and brought the old man back to check on their brother. The old doctor attended to Itachi the whole night but there was not much he could do. Itachi's sickness was getting worse. The doctor explained to Yuki about his condition and it broke the young woman apart. And eventually, Sasuke and Naruto knew that Itachi was seriously ill.

The next morning, they all gathered together next to Itachi. "Nii-san, why don't you tell us earlier?" asked Sasuke. He was deeply saddened. "I'm sorry, for being rude to you" he added. Itachi looked at him and give a weak smile. "No, don't blame yourself. I have this illness a long time ago" he said, before pausing and coughing a little. "Just let me rest a little longer, I'll be okay" he said. Sasuke and Naruto felt bad.

"I'll go to the city and ask for help" said Sasuke. Naruto nodded to him. Itachi was against this, but the two young men were unstoppable. They left for the city. "I don't want you all to burden yourself...that's all. The medicines are to suppress my sickness only, not curing it. Just a waste of money" said Itachi, while Yuki was cleaning his hands. She sobbed a little. "What's wrong, Yuki?" asked Itachi. "Your— your hands..." she sobbed even more. "...they're so rough..." she continued, tears running through her pinkish cheeks. Itachi stayed silent.

Days passed with Itachi getting weakened, he barely able to swallow his food. Sasuke and Naruto were distressed. They went to the city again to get the result of their application for monetary support from the council. Devastated, they were rejected. "Can I see the list again?" asked Naruto. The attendant guy passed the list to him. Naruto could not believe his eyes; he kept looking for their names in the list. "Are you sure this is all of it?" asked Naruto, showing the list to the attendant guy. Nodded slowly to Naruto, the attendant guy then ignore him again. Naruto was angered. "Hey, why our names are not in this list?" he asked. Sasuke simply shook his head.

The attendant guy was rather shocked; he still put on that calm face, staring at Naruto. "Answer me!" exclaimed Naruto, slamming the wooden table. Sasuke tried to calm the blondie down. "Well, I don't make the list" answered the attendant guy. "Then who is it? I want to meet him!" said Naruto angrily, with his arms crossed.

"I make the list. What is the commotion all about?" asked a guy with a deep voice, coming out from the office. Naruto gritted his teeth. "I just want to know, why our names are not in the list?" said Naruto. The guy walked towards them, observing them.

"I'm Igarashi Kouta, officer in charge here" said the guy. Naruto and Sasuke both frown. "I'm not asking you your name!" said Naruto. "I know. And for your question, it's not easy for me to pick among hundreds, thousands of you that applied for the money. Even the money provided by Fire Country is always not enough" said Kouta, before he took a seat in front of the young men. "I have a fight within myself, of who should I pick. Easy that I don't know the applicant, so I'm not biased. It's a hard work to do, I would say" he added, glancing at Naruto.

"But I realised that, not even one of applicant from my village are chosen. Why?" asked Sasuke. Naruto nodded in agreement. Kouta's eyes widen for mere second. "I see. Maybe I made a mistake. Anyway, no changes will be made. You two can apply for next year" he said. "This is unfair! How do you make selection for this?!" exclaimed Naruto. Sasuke felt the same as Naruto but he knew whatever they do will not change a thing. Kouta was angered with Naruto somehow.

"You should know your place! Huh...still has the nerve to ask for money yet acting like this! Know who you are, young man!" said Kouta. Naruto was so angry, his fist itch to hit Kouta but he was stopped by Sasuke. The raven haired guy was angry too but he knew whatever they do will not change a thing. Luckily, he managed to bring Naruto back home. Though, they were both saddened.

"Don't blame yourself. It's nothing to be sad of, either" said Itachi. Sasuke and Naruto were sitting next to him. "Anyway, I'm sorry that I've become a burden to all of you and making you go through all this" said Itachi. "Don't say that, Nii-san" said Sasuke. He was too sad, he did not leave Itachi's side so much. He attended to his brother most of the time, with Yuki's help around the house. Naruto alone managed their garden.

Itachi was far from getting better, with no medication. He knew his time would come soon. "Yuki, I'm sorry I've burdening you so much" he said in his raspy voice. "It's fine with me" answered Yuki. Inhaled deeply, Itachi held Yuki's hand. The lady was startled. "Yuki, listen... my time almost come" said Itachi. Yuki frowned deeply, her tears puddle quickly. "I won't stay longer...please call Sasuke and Naruto for me" he said, coughing a little. Deeply grieving, Sasuke and Naruto listened to all Itachi had to tell them... maybe, for the last time.

The night felt so long and so cold for them all. Itachi left them with a slight smile on his face. They all were devastated.


	4. I'm Sorry

**Disclaimer: Standard**

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The sky was dark. It was cloudy and windy. Sasuke stared at the fresh soil beneath his feet. He did not seem to feel anything. He knew he was sad, truly, but no tears were shed. While Yuki, sobbed all the way from home to the funeral ground. Slowly, Sasuke turned his eyes towards Naruto. The blondie did cry a little. _"Why?"_ was all Sasuke could ask himself. Then it was raining.

No one was talking. Not even when they arrived home after the funeral. Sasuke was too confused, he did not sure of how to react. He withdrew into himself. A terrible pain in his chest was unbearable but he could not let it out. He knew it was sadness. He once lost his parents and now his brother. He felt alone.

Days passed since Itachi's death. Sasuke was still deeply saddened and it worried Yuki and Naruto. "Sasuke, you can't keep silent like this for so long" said Naruto, trying to bring up a conversation. "Leave me alone, Naruto" said Sasuke, weakly. "Itachi nii-san won't be happy to see you like this" Naruto sat across of him. Sasuke turned away. "I don't want to talk right now" said Sasuke simply.

"We have to move on you know. Just let it go" said Naruto, still trying to convince Sasuke. Slowly, Sasuke turned to him. "Then, I want to leave here" said Sasuke. Naruto was startled. "Why? Why are you saying this?" muttered Naruto. He knew this conversation won't be good.

"You said I need to move on. So, I want to leave. To go away from this place" Sasuke's face was changing. He looked angrier than sad now. "Maybe you forgot. Itachi's will was that we must stay together and take care of Yuki nee-san" said Naruto. He was puzzled.

"But I'm sick of living like this. This place gives me more sadness than anything" said Sasuke. "We grew up here together" said the blondie. Sighing a little, Sasuke turned away from him. "The memories are nothing but a past. Everything is useless" he said.

Naruto was angered hearing that. He unconsciously grasped his hands tightly. "I'm sad too, Sasuke. Itachi is our brother. But you can't do this" said Naruto.

"He's not your brother! And he's gone! And I can't do anything about it!" Sasuke raised his voice. Naruto was frustrated with Sasuke's reaction, he hit Sasuke. The raven haired guy fell to the floor. Hearing all the commotion, Yuki rushed to their place. "What is happening here?" she asked. Yuki was too confused of what has happening and none of the boys were answering her.

"Naruto-kun, what is it?" she tried to ask Naruto. Sasuke got up and went to his room. Naruto was frowning deeply, he too, turned away. "Just...leave me alone, nee-san" he muttered. Yuki sighed deeply. She felt helpless.

Naruto could not bring his eyes to sleep. He kept on thinking of Sasuke wanting to leave. _"Why would he? What is he thinking?"_ he thought to himself, while tossing around on his futon. Some part of Naruto did agree with Sasuke. They should move on, and leave this sad place.

However, he could not forget Itachi's last words. He wanted them to be together. Help each other and take care of Yuki for him. Naruto still want to fulfil this one promise to Itachi. He will try to do his best. And will try to make everything back as usual.

The next morning, Naruto try to put on his cool face and knocked on Sasuke's door. "Sasuke, I'm sorry for last night, you know" he said before he entered the room. "Sasuke..." he called, when he saw the room was empty. The futon was folded neatly in the middle of the room and the pillow was placed on top of it. Naruto's breathe held in his chest. He was scared if Sasuke really left.

Naruto went to the kitchen. Yuki was there. "Where's Sasuke-kun? Let's have breakfast now" said Yuki when she saw Naruto coming. The blondie's step died immediately. "I thought of asking you the same question, nee-san" he stated. Yuki looked at him, puzzled.

Sasuke left the house towards an uncertain future. Meanwhile Naruto and Yuki were left worrying about him. _"I'm sorry"_ was found written on a piece of paper, on the desk.

"I hope he will be fine" said Yuki, as she looked afar out the window. Naruto sat at the dining table, looking at her. "Don't worry nee-san. When he's hungry, he will come back" he said, jokingly. Yuki gave him a bitter smile. But Sasuke never came back.

After some time, Yuki and Naruto too, sold the old house to some villager. They also moved to the city to seek a better life. They rented a small house above a shop where Yuki worked as a cashier. Naruto took the law class and work on weekends to earn some extra money.

Sometimes, Naruto would seek for Sasuke; for his whereabouts or anything at all. But to no avail. Deep inside, he thought of Sasuke as his real family. Thus, Sasuke's leaving made him feel saddened and lonely.

_"__I'll find you someday"_ Naruto thought, as he made his way to the class.

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**A/N: Short chapter. Next chapter will be coming soon. I promise that it won't be disappointing.**


	5. Uzumaki Naruto

**Disclaimer: Standard**

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Years passed. Naruto grew up to be a handsome and strong young man. It was his graduation day and he was preparing himself for the speech at the ceremony. He was chosen as the best student that year and tops his batch in physical exam.

"I'm so proud of you, Naruto-kun" said Yuki as she helped Naruto with his attire. "If only your parents were still alive to see you now" she added, with a slight smile on her face.

Naruto looked at himself in the mirror. "They see me, from heaven" he said. "But you are here, nee-san. It makes me happy enough"

Yuki smiled at him. "Thank you, Naruto-kun"

_"__If only Sasuke is here too"_ Naruto thought.

Then, the two went to the police headquarters where the ceremony was held. A lot of people were there. Most of them are the families of the graduate. Yuki and Naruto took a seat where they were designated.

Suddenly, Naruto felt the need to go to the washroom. "Yuki nee-san, I'll be back soon" he said as he made his way to the nearest washroom. As he rushed, he accidentally bumped into a lady.

"I'm sorry" said Naruto but he immediately left the scene as he could not hold it any longer. The lady only managed to catch a glimpse of Naruto. She looked startled but she could not do anything though.

After he finished, Naruto went out and stepped on something. He looked down and saw a butterfly pin. He picked it up and remembered that he bumped into someone before that. _"Maybe it was that lady's pin"_ he thought.

Then, the ceremony went on and Naruto, the honoured student, was presented a police badge by the Superintendent Hyuuga Neji. After his brief speech, everyone clapped, making Naruto felt overwhelm, he almost cried.

Naruto received a lot of praises and congratulation from his colleague. Even Hyuuga Neji himself. "Good job, Uzumaki Naruto" said Neji. "Thank you, sir!" said Naruto as he gave Neji a proper salute.

"No need to be so formal. Anyway, who is this lady with you?" said Neji. "She's Yuki nee-san. My guardian, sir" answered Naruto. Yuki simply bowed to Neji.

"Naruto, after this you'll have a lot of responsibility. And it's your turn to be Yuki-san's guardian. So, what kind of policeman would you like to become?" asked Neji. Naruto pondered a while.

"The one that stand for justice, sir" Naruto answered, confidently. Neji nodded slightly. "But some people do evil things because they have too, because they have no choice. So how do you judge justice for them?" asked Neji.

Naruto frowned a little. He never thought that he was tested right after the graduation. "Every person has a choice to do it or not to do it, sir. I believe that all the bad people who choose to do it should be judge accordingly" answered Naruto.

"Hmm... I hope I have more young man like you in our forces" said Neji. He was pleased. Suddenly, a lady called out to Neji. "Nii-san..."

Naruto and Neji both turned to the lady. "Hinata, just wait for me a little longer" said Neji. Naruto observed the lady; she was kind of familiar to him.

"Excuse me, miss. I believe this is your pin. I found it on the floor" said Naruto as he showed the pin to Hinata. The shy lady took the pin. "Thank you" she then blushed madly. She did not even look at Naruto's face that it made the blond guy raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you two met before?" said Neji. "I wouldn't call it a meeting. I accidentally bumped into her actually" said Naruto, chuckling a little.

"I see... anyway, this is my younger sister, Hinata. She's shy around people, especially guys" said Neji. "Hi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto" said Naruto. Hinata nodded slightly and hid behind Neji. Her brother simply shrugged.

"Anyway, we need to go now. See you at the station next time" said Neji as he left. Hinata followed him.

The Hyuuga family is the backbone for the police forces in the city. Hyuuga Neji became the superintendent after his father's death. The family was respected not only for their involvement in law enforcement but also their wealth.

"Naruto isn't so bad, is he?" said Neji suddenly. Hinata was shocked at his question. "I...I don't know" she said, almost whispering.

"You should meet a guy like him someday" he added. Hinata blushed at Neji's statement.

Later that night, Hinata sat in front of the mirror, combing her long silky dark hair. She then saw her butterfly pin blink from the corner of her eye. She briefly recalled her first encounter with Naruto and she unconsciously smile. Hinata could not easily forget Naruto's handsome face that she had this tingling feeling in her stomach.

It was Naruto's first day at work. He was officially a police officer now. As a newbie, all new recruit has to report themselves. They even have a march at the field. After all the formalities, Naruto walked to his post, where he was first assigned.

He then saw Hinata from afar, who just walked out of the station. "Hinata..." Naruto called out to her. Hinata turned to the caller and she blushed. "Yes?" she softly asked. Naruto was rather happy to meet her there. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Umm... I've just met Neji nii-san. Sending him bento" she said in her usual soft tone. "I see. You must be a very kind woman. Neji-sama is so lucky to have you as his sister" said Naruto. Hinata blushed even more, that Naruto noticed it.

"Why? Anyway, any guy will be lucky to be with you" said Naruto, giving his usual wide grin. Hinata nodded slightly, tried to conceal her embarrassment. "Th— thanks, Naruto-kun. That is so kind of you" she said.

"Haha... well, I really need to go now. Nice to meet you here, Hinata. Jya ne..." said Naruto, waving his hand before he left. Hinata's heart was beating fast and she could felt the warmness across her face. _"I must be so pink right now"_ she thought.

And because of that, it was getting harder for Hinata to remove Naruto from her head. She never met such a guy that was as easygoing as Naruto before. She felt comfortable around him; although she still has her limits.


	6. Masked

**Disclaimer: Standard**

* * *

"Please… Please don't kill me! Please…." a man in his middle forty pleaded in the darkness of his room. He crawled on the floor to escape his death. He could not see the assassin's face but the reflection of the moonlight on the sword was clear enough. Enough to send chill through his spine.

/ring~ ring~ ring~/

He rang the bell to summon his guards but to no avail. No one came in to save him. "No use ringing the bell… they won't come, " said the assassin with a rather calm tone. Still, the mayor could not see the assassin's face but he was getting closer and closer to him.

"Please…. I beg you! I… I'll give you money… how much do you want?" he pleaded again as now he was pushing his back against the wall. "I don't need your dirty money now. I once needed it but you took it away for yourself. You let people like us suffer while you get richer… and fatter…" said the assassin, as he trailed his sword from the mayor's neck to his fat belly.

The mayor trembled terribly at the sight of the sword. Now that the sword was in front of him, he realized that it was stained with blood, maybe the blood of his guards. The lightning struck outside and shone into the dark room, making the assassin's face visible for mere second. However, it was the last thing the mayor saw.

/

"An assassin is at large. We have to do something to protect the city. The politicians depend on us now to prevent such thing from happening here" said Neji as he briefed his squad about the assassin. "The politicians are not our highest concern as they may have personal guards with them and their family. What about us? How about the rest of the civilians?" he added. Everyone was listening to his speech.

"This actually happened at the other city, I doubt it will happen here" said a colleague, whispering to Naruto. "I don't really follow on this. The most I know is they killed corrupted politicians or the riches" said Naruto. After the briefing, Naruto was summoned to Neji's office. The blondie was rather nervous of being summoned early in that day.

"Yes, sir?" he asked as he gave Neji a proper salute. "No need for formality, Naruto. We're a family now" said the Hyuuga heir. "Well, I need too. People will talk if they saw me act casually around you, sir" said Naruto as he took a seat across Neji. The Hyuuga smiled at his answer. "Anything you feel right, Naruto. Anyway, how is my sister?" asked Neji. "She's fine. I'll make sure she meets you more often" said Naruto.

Naruto had recently married to Hinata and stayed together at the Hyuuga residence. However, since most of the main family lived together on the acre, Naruto and Hinata had their own house split from Neji's main house. "I hope you treated her well" said Neji. "Yes, I'll try my best sir… umm, nii-san" said Naruto, chuckling a little.

"Anyway, the main reason that I summoned you here is about your promotion" said Neji. Naruto was startled of what he just heard. "I'm thinking of promoting you to squad leader" Neji added. "Wa— wait! I'm new here, nii-san… won't it be… unfair?" asked Naruto. Neji was rather amused by Naruto's response. "Why would it be unfair?" asked Neji.

"Because I'm just a rookie here… besides I'm your in-law…" said Naruto, frowning. Neji sighed. "But your record is clean, isn't it? And you have good reviews too from other seniors. I'm not promoting you without these reasons" explained Neji. Naruto did blush a little. "Then, I'm more than happy to accept it! Thank you, Sir!" said Naruto, giving Neji a salute.

/

It was a silent night at Miyama residence, with guards on duty at every corner of the main house. Miyama Kenji was somehow feeling restless in his room. He still had no courage to put out the candle light next to his bed. It is the only light source he had other than the one outside his room. He could see clearly the shadow of his guards, walking pass his room once in awhile.

"Why would I feel scare of this stupid threat?" he angrily thought. Kenji had been losing sleeps passed few nights after receiving a threaten note, left on his bed. He had a few guards searched the area for him but to no avail. The intruder was indeed skilled.

Feeling tired and defeated, Kenji slowly rest his head on the pillow and almost drove to sleep when suddenly the candle light next to him flicker. He jolted from his bed. "Who— who's there?!" he yelled. His heart was beating like crazy. Suddenly, he saw a shadow standing in front of his paper door. "Kenji-dono, are you alright?" asked the shadow. Kenji sighed in relieved. "Nothing… I'm just having a bad dream" he answered.

Then, the guard moved away. Kenji tried to get some sleep again when he caught a dark figure standing next to him. He turned his head immediately and came face to face with a mask. As Kenji freaked out and screamed for his guard, the masked man scrambled his way out of the room. Luckily for Kenji, the masked man was just a burglar coming in through his opened window.

"You're so lucky, Dono… it was just a burglar… you can sleep peacefully tonight" said Naruto as he and his team were at the Miyama residence, taking report. Kenji looked pale and he could not stop thinking of the unfortunate incident that happened to him. "I'm not sure about that, but tonight I'll double the guards" said Kenji. Naruto and his team left.

Later that night, Kenji was getting more nervous than the nights before because it was his last night. Even a tiny noise could make him jump off the bed. "Please… let me be…" he trembled under his blanket. Suddenly, he heard a thud somewhere in his well lit room; Kenji peeked from under his blanket. He saw nothing peculiar. Slowly he got up and looked around but there was nothing except for his opened window. Kenji shrieked as he got up from his bed. He swore that he had locked the window before.

Kenji ran as fast as he could to the door but it was locked from the outside. "Open the door! Fast! Open it!" he yelled. "Shhh…" someone suddenly whispered into his ears. Kenji turned and saw the assassin just right next to him. He stumbled on the floor. "I've promised to kill you today, haven't I?" said the assassin. Kenji was unable to say any word, he was slashed to death. His guard broke the door open but the assassin was gone.

/

"Everything is a dead end. It seems like this investigation is difficult" Naruto frowned while looking at all the previous cases connected to the assassin. Neji stared at the huge pile of files on his desk with Naruto sitting opposite him. "Look at this case, it seems that this merchant was killed while traveling in a guarded convoy" said Naruto, showing Neji the file. Neji looked at file and said "Eventually the assassin will be caught in the end. He's just a normal human after all". Naruto nodded in agreement.

"By the way, why don't you take a few days off? Since you've worked overtime last few days" said Neji. "No, I'm fine, really" answered Naruto. "No, I insist. Not for you, but my sister" said Neji with his serious face. Naruto gulped and nodded. "Okay, if you say so" he said, chuckling a little.

"Tadaima~" said Naruto once he entered his home. "Okaeri~ Naruto-kun" replied Hinata, wearing a white apron. Naruto's fatigue was lifted from his shoulder when he looked at his beautiful wife. "How's work?" asked Hinata. "Everything's fine. Anyway, I'm on leave tomorrow. By the way, what's cooking?" asked Naruto, sniffing a delicious smell. "Your favorite dish" replied Hinata. They spent the rest of the night with each other.


	7. In the Heart

**Disclaimer: Standard.**

**A/N: Wahhhh... It's been 8 days (I think) since I last updated this story. Reason #1 is because I'm just lazy. #2 is I'm having a conflict with the plot. Everything seems to fall in place that I couldn't stop writing so I force myself to stop! If I hadn't, this chapter will be soooo longgggg... So I battled myself and cut it here and there and tadaa- **

**p/s: I thought of putting some lemon element here but then I have to cut it for good hehehe... Just bear with me! **

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Hinata sat at the backyard, watching her brother and Naruto practicing kendo. The clunk of the wooden stick hitting each other filled the air, sometimes the chirping birds and sometimes the grunts of the training men. Hinata breathed in the fresh morning air. The aroma of the camellia green tea filled her lungs. She watched carefully as the two men that she loves most were there, sparring with each other. What a wonderful sight, she thought. She observed her husband's swift movement as if he was a natural.

"Nii-san, Naruto-kun… Come, rest a bit. I've brought some tea and snacks" she said, sweetly as usual.

The men stopped. "You're getting better… and faster" praised Neji. It made Naruto chuckled and blushed at the same time. "I'm still nothing compared to you, nii-san" he humbly stated. Then they both went to Hinata's place. They were all chatting like a happy family could be. "So, when is it Naruto?" asked Neji suddenly. Naruto was puzzled. "What is what?" he asked. "For you two to have kids" Neji blurted it out casually. Naruto choked on his tea. "Na— Naruto-kun?" Hinata patted slowly on Naruto's back while the blonde tried to catch his breath again.

"Haha… I— we haven't thought about it yet, right Hinata?" Naruto turned to his wife in hopes for agreement. Unwillingly, Hinata nodded, giving her usual silent face. Naruto could saw some disappointment written on her face. "Well, don't delay it for so long" said Neji, then sipping his tea. He himself has two children, a boy and a girl. Naruto forced a smile. He still has a lot in his mind. "Anyway, it's good isn't it to take a break once in awhile?" said Neji. Naruto took a moment to think, he then nodded with his usual grin across his face. "Yeah, I feel refreshed" said the blondie.

"…Though I have a lot of things left at work that I eagerly wanted to discuss with you…" said Neji while his eyes peered at his sister. "…and we'll talk about it at work…" the Hyuuga heir added. He knew that Hinata hated it most if he brings work to home. And even his late wife, hating it too.

/

Later that afternoon, Naruto was at the door putting on his shoes. "I'm going out for a bit" said Naruto to his wife. "Where to?" she asked with that wide, curious eyes. "To Shikamaru's place, the others will be there too. I've promised to join them" explained Naruto. Hinata nodded with a smile. She fully understood it when Naruto said Shikamaru's place like he mean it. And by them, he meant Chouji, Kiba and Shino. "Be careful…" she said, each and every time Naruto leaves home.

As Naruto left, his mind thought of many things. Naruto fastened his pace but not to Shikamaru's house. He was on a different route. Something else was in his mind. After minutes of walking away from the main city, Naruto stopped in front of a wealthy mansion. It was an old mansion but well-preserved and well guarded. The 'Matsuyama' _kanji_ was proudly carved on a stone in front of the main gate. Naruto vaguely remember what Neji had told him earlier that day, when Hinata was not around. A rich merchant recently died of heart failure and his children are fighting over the money and land. However, the problem rise when the oldest daughter found out that his late father was a gang leader.

_"__She made a police report, secretly without the consent of her brothers. She was now under police custody for protection" _Naruto remembered Neji told him a few things about the family. The Matsuyama family was involved in numerous illegal children trafficking in the city. There were even rumors about them kidnapping children from all over the city and kept them in the mansion. Some were tortured to death if they did not behave and the good ones were sold to other cities as slaves.

"This should be the next target… but how am I suppose to infiltrate?" Naruto thought as he wandered around the main gate. He was startled when a guard yelled at him. "Hey, you! What are you doing out there?!" yelled the guard from inside the gate. "Err… Nothing, I'm just passing by here" Naruto chuckled awkwardly. The guard observed Naruto until he was lost from his sight.

/

That night, Naruto settled down early to bed. Seeing that her husband went to bed early, Hinata crept on the bed taking her place next to Naruto. Slowly, she wrapped her arm around Naruto. The blondie turned to his wife. "Yes, Hinata?" he asked, with his teary sky blue eyes. He was a little bit sleepy. "Umm-hmm... Nothing…" muttered Hinata. Naruto moved closer to Hinata to kiss her pinkish lips. "You're so pretty…" said Naruto as he brushed Hinata's long hair with his fingers and tugged them behind her ears. He kissed her again. Their tongue entangled in an intense dance.

"Na— Naruto-kun… I…" Hinata said in between their kisses, when they took a break for air. Naruto's hand wandered along Hinata's curvy body under her sleeping gown. He groped her big breasts, tickling her tits and pinching it. He earned a moaned and yelped from the lady under him. She did not wear a bra but she did wear her panty. Naruto smirked as he thought that the panty as his only obstacle, it was nothing. "Hinata… I'll punish you tonight…" he cheekily whispered into her ears. Hinata gasped hearing this and her body shivered from excitement.

Naruto got up from his position; he looked at Hinata's blushing face. "Naruto-kun… I don't… ah…" the lady was interrupted when Naruto parted her legs. "Ah— I'm not…" Hinata was trembling a bit, trying to get her legs close again. "Why Hinata? Are you that nervous? It hasn't been so long isn't it?" he chuckled while his hands tried to pull Hinata's panty from each side. Hinata quickly stopped Naruto's hands making the blondie rather shocked. "Why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I— I'm on… the day of the month…" she mumbled it out. Somehow, Naruto managed to figure it out, his jaw dropped. He let out a long sigh and lies next to Hinata again.

"I'm so sorry Naruto-kun…" said Hinata. She felt bad at disappointing her husband but she too could not help it. Smiling, Naruto turned to her. "It's okay. Nothing to feel bad about, it's normal. Goodnight, Hinata" he said. They both went to sleep, with Hinata cuddling to Naruto.

/

"Welcome… we've been waiting for you" greeted a chubby middle-aged man to a guest that arrived quite late at night into his property. He had four guards with him and two maids. "Sorry for arriving this late. I wouldn't take a risk of being notice with this around" said the guest. "No worry, Uchiha-sama… you're our honorable guest. I've been requested personally by Monobe-dono to accept you. How could I refuse? It will be a disgrace to my family name" he said. They walked together pass the big lawn towards the main house. Sasuke looked around the well-maintain lawn.

Upon entering the main door, a table of buffet was prepared. "Uchiha-sama, please have a seat. I've told the maids to prepare this feast for you. I know you're coming from far away, so you must've been hungry and tired and…" he was cut off. "Thank you, Zumioshi-san" said Sasuke. "Just call me Renzai" he said, letting out a chuckle. Suddenly, Sasuke realized that a maid tried to pick up Sasuke's belonging, the Uchiha immediately stopped the lady. "Stop… Don't touch my stuff" he stated coldly. His cold glared startled the lady, she immediately let go off his stuff. It was wrapped with cloth.

"Anyway, what exactly is your business coming here?" asked Renzai. "A lot. None of it can be told to anyone" Sasuke answered. Renzai was a bit taken aback, but somehow he let it slipped through with his awkward laugh. "Even Monobe-dono didn't say anything about you other than wanting me to let you stay. For how long exactly? Ah— I don't mean to be rude, but just want to be sure, you know…" said Renzai. "Three nights" answered Sasuke. Then, Sasuke ate silently throughout the dinner while Renzai keep blabbering about pretty much everything.

After the festive dinner, Sasuke asked to go to his room. "Show Uchiha-sama his room, please…" as Renzai gestured to one of his maid to send Sasuke off to his room. "You can take a nice hot bath and then rest as much as you want. I've prepared everything for you…" said Renzai excitedly. Sasuke simply nodded. He silently thought that Renzai is one weird man. Sasuke was on his way following the maid when suddenly Renzai stopped him. "Ah, wait… Just to make sure, is there anything else you needed Uchiha-sama?" he had this fishy smile on his face. Sasuke answered through his cold glare.

/

Sasuke took his time, soaking in the giant bathtub. The bathroom filled with aromatherapy smell that was relaxing. Sasuke could fall asleep in the tub. But he was awakened by the sound of the door being slide open. He looked at the door that was now slightly opened. He could saw a figure standing by the door but the bathroom was so steamy, he could not see clearly who that was.

"Who's there?" he asked, getting up from the tub and grabbed the towel. He put it around his waist. Since there was still no answer, Sasuke walked slowly to the door. As he gets closer, he managed to see a figure of a lady at the door. "What are you doing here?" he asked. The lady almost scared the hell out of Sasuke. Not only she stood there naked, she did not say anything, not even a flinch. "Take this" said Sasuke as he grabbed another towel and gave it to the lady. She took it and wrapped it around her body. They both went out.

Sasuke was slightly annoyed and he was confused. "Why are you here?" he asked again. "I… I'm here to serve you for tonight" she softly answered. Sasuke eyed the lady. If not because of the towel that he just gave, he could believe that the lady came in completely naked. "Renzai ordered you to do so?" he asked. The lady nodded slowly. Letting out a long sigh, Sasuke ran his hands through his hair.

"Now, just go. I don't need you here" stated Sasuke. The lady gaped. "I can't. Renzai-sama will be mad at me if I don't do my job" she said, with shaky voice as if she was going to cry. Sasuke frowned. "But he will never know, won't he?" said Sasuke, sitting on a sofa across of the lady. "My task is to stay with you tonight…" she then said. Sasuke sighed again. "Then… you can sleep there. I'll just sleep here" said Sasuke. The lady felt relieved somehow. On the other hand, Sasuke was wondering why would Renzai kept this lady here. "Are you his mistress?" asked Sasuke. The lady shook his head. "I'm just a maid here" she said.

Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes caught something on the lady's wrist. He walked towards the lady and grabbed her right hand. The lady gasped. There was a mark on her wrist. Seeing that the raven haired guy was looking at her wrist, she tried to free herself but to no avail as Sasuke tightened his grip. "What is this?" he asked. "It's… It's my birthmark" she stuttered. Sasuke ran his finger through the mark. "It's tattooed onto your skin. I've seen this somewhere before. What is this exactly?" he asked with a deeper tone in his voice. The lady turned away. "I'm a slave" said the lady.

Something struck in Sasuke's mind. "You're a sex slave?" muttered Sasuke and his grip loosened. The lady frowned. "But I was saved by Renzai-sama" she muttered. "If he didn't buy me, I… maybe I've already died…" she added. Sasuke kept silent. "Then why did he ask you to be here tonight? Isn't he just the same as anyone else?" asked Sasuke. The lady shook her head. "He bought us for his own personal fulfillment. But he never do harm to us" she said. "That means you're not the only one here?" asked the Uchiha. The lady simply nodded.

Sasuke sighed. "What's your name then?" he asked. "I'm Amisa" she said. Then they went silent for some moment. "Sasuke-kun, am I disgusting to you?" she asked. Sasuke looked at the lady. She was pretty and all but having such a fateful life. "No matter who you are, what you believe and what's there inside your heart, matters the most" said Sasuke. Amisa felt warmness spread in her heart, she smiled.

That night, Amisa slept on the bed while Sasuke on the sofa but not for long as he woke up in the middle of the night. After making sure that Amisa was really asleep, Sasuke took his stuff and went out. Amisa was awoken hearing a thud. She was able to catch the glimpse of Sasuke closing the door. "What is he doing in the middle of the night?" mumbled Amisa in between her sleepy voice.


	8. Unplanned

**Disclaimer: Standard.**

**A/N: Hmm... quite a long chapter and smutty too. I struggled to squeeze idea for some lemony taste as suddenly my perverted mind dried up****... Anyway, enjoy! This chapter contains lemon. And this will mark the new twist in the story.**

* * *

It was as silent as deaf. Not even a slightest sound could be heard. Only the nature made sound of crickets, frogs and water in the fountain. Every now and then, two or three guards could be seen patrolling the area. Thus, with that very short chance, he jumped off the gate. He grunted as he reached the ground. And swiftly, he moved across the garden towards the house. _"I need to hurry"_ he thought as he made his way to the main house. It was not hard for him to walk in the darkness, together with the shadow. He arrived at the main house in no time. The security was double if not triple within this area.

He moved as silently as he could. Even a slightest creak is forbidden. Slowly, he poked a hole through the paper door. He peered through it but could see only pitch black. Suddenly a thud, no, an army of it was coming from the corner. Sound of people coming. Calmly, he grasped onto the wooden panel at the wall and climbed it. He climbed to the top and hold on to the latch above the ceiling. He was hanging there for minutes until all the guards walked pass the area. They were all chattering about an intruder but none of them saw him at the ceiling. Luckily the area was dark and the oil lamp that the guards have was not bright enough.

He jumped off the latch, with a loud thud but it did not matter anymore as he made his way out, jumping over the gate. He did not even have to draw his sword tonight, so he disappeared into the night.

/

The morning light shone brightly into the room. Amisa woke up and stretched lightly as she sat on the bed. She vaguely remembered what happened last night that bring her to wake up in that unfamiliar room. She turned to look at the sofa and saw a handsome guy sleeping peacefully. Amisa made her way to the guy. "What a pretty face…" she muttered while her fingers stroked through the dark hairs. Sasuke flinched a little when he felt the distraction. "Ohaiyou…" whispered a sweet voice into Sasuke's ear. He opened his eyes only to see Amisa's smiling face right in front of him.

Lazily, Sasuke turned away and got up. "Don't get around naked like that" muttered Sasuke as he realized that Amisa was actually wearing nothing. The lady chuckled. "I don't wear anything when I first came here anyway" she jokingly answered. Sasuke tried to ignore the lady; he made his way to the bathroom. "Umm… where were you going last night?" asked Amisa. Sasuke stopped and glanced at the naked lady. "You saw me?" he asked. Amisa nodded. Sasuke turned away without a word.

Later, Sasuke was lead by the maid to the dining room. "Have a seat, Uchiha-sama… I was waiting for you" said Renzai gleefully. Amisa was there too, sitting next to Renzai. The table was full of nicely prepared food. "This is too much for two" said Sasuke as he took his seat across of Renzai. The fat guy laughed. "This won't go to waste. If we don't finish it, they will…" he pointed to his maids. Sasuke nodded slightly.

"Anyway, is that a sword? Can I see it?" asked Renzai in the middle of their breakfast. He realized that Sasuke brought the thing wrapped in cloth anywhere he goes. Sasuke somehow gave him a cold stare. "Foolish me… of course you won't let people see it…" Renzai let out an awkward chuckled. "Do you know about the assassin? He was rumored to slash people and stabbed them to death with his sword… people will think that you're the assassin if they see you with one" said Renzai, almost whispering. Sasuke frowned deeply. "That Monobe… he never changed. Samurai's blood still runs through his vein. It's too thick he can't throw it away" he added. Sasuke stayed silent. His memories returned back to when he was found by one of Monobe's disciple. And from then on, he was trained by Monobe.

"So, how's the _service_ last night? Do you like it?" asked Renzai, snapping Sasuke out of his own thought. He realized the troubled looking lady next to Renzai. Somehow, Sasuke was not sure of what to say. Luckily, Renzai was an easygoing character, he laughed it off. "I shouldn't ask… my apologies, Uchiha-sama. Though, I hope you like her. I still have plenty of others, if you want…" said Renzai. Sasuke sighed. "No, thanks" Sasuke answered. Renzai was stunned.

"By the way, I'm going to check on the city today. Maybe I'll be back in the evening" said the Uchiha as he finished his food and got up. Renzai nodded and let him walked out. "He's an interesting guy, isn't he?" said Renzai. Amisa nodded in agreement.

/

The town was crowded with people. Whether it was in the shop or at the sidewalk, it was full of people selling and buying things. It was rather a chaotic morning. Sasuke walked among the crowd silently. He was not there to buy groceries but more to sightseeing. However, the sound of the crowd made him find a retreat into the nearby grocery store. There were still people inside but less crowded. He thought of buying some dry food. As he walked along the food stand, a lady accidentally knocked onto him. She dropped her stuffs.

"So… sorry…" she mumbled as she immediately picked her things up. Sasuke helped her with it. "It's okay" he said. The lady had this jet black hair that reminded him of Amisa. Except that Amisa's hair is much shorter. "Hinata… what happened?" asked Naruto. Sasuke looked up to the familiar voice, and his onyx eyes met the sky blue. "Sa… Sasuke?" Naruto's eyes widened. After years apart, they met again. "I… I never thought that I'll meet you again…" said Naruto. He looked overwhelmed. Sasuke somehow calm despite his heart was racing.

"Oh, Hinata… this is… this is Sasuke that I used to tell you about" said Naruto. "Hi…" greeted Hinata. She was feeling joy as she knew that Naruto was feeling the same. She could saw it through Naruto's face. The Uchiha nodded slightly. He never thought he would meet Naruto again, though he very much knew that Naruto lived in the city. "It's been a long time" blurted the Uchiha so ever casually. Chuckling, while holding in his tears of joy, "You never change, Sasuke. Your boring face is still the same and the way you talk…" said Naruto, his voice almost crack. "We should go somewhere and talk" said Hinata. Sasuke somehow agreed.

They went to the Hyuuga residence. Sasuke noted that Naruto was now living well. "Have some tea. I'll be at the kitchen" said Hinata as she served the tea and made her way. Naruto thanked his wife. "So, life has changed, huh?" said Sasuke. "Kind of… Then, how about you? What are you doing this whole time? Where have you been?" asked Naruto, a lot. Sasuke tore his gaze away. "Sorry… I've been looking for you all these years. So I guess I have many things I wanna ask you" the blondie chuckled. After some moment of silent, Sasuke answered. "I'm living my life" he simply said.

"Anyway, what is that?" asked Naruto, pointing to the thing that Sasuke's carried on his back. "Nothing" Sasuke answered, shortly. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "It looks like… umm… a wooden stick! You know the one we use in kendo" said Naruto, excitedly. "I have that one too!" he added. Sasuke gaped. He was amused by Naruto. The blondie gave him a big grin. However, deep inside, Naruto knew that it was something else. Sasuke simply stayed silent.

Naruto smiled, as he looked at the guy he once considered his brother. Well, he still thought of Sasuke that way. Naruto too, wondering why he did not punch Sasuke in the face or fight him or yelled at him. He even had this fluttering feeling in his heart. He always thought that he could go angry at Sasuke whenever he met him. But now, the Uchiha was right in front of him, and yet, he was smiling all the way. Naruto guess, he was just happy to see Sasuke was well all this time. _"Thanks, Kami-sama"_ whispered Naruto in his heart.

/

Sasuke went back to Renzai's place quite late. Renzai, as he predicted was still up, waiting for him. "Uchiha-sama… I was waiting for you. Do you want anything to eat? I'll ask the maid to prepare it for you" asked the chubby guy as soon as Sasuke entered the main house. "No, I'm going to my room" said Sasuke. Renzai nodded at him. "Have a nice relaxing night, Uchiha-sama" he said. Sasuke was a bit tired. His real task for the day was halted from the moment he met Naruto. He unconsciously smiled when he thought about it. Meeting Naruto again after those years, somehow did gave him a good feeling.

As soon as he entered his room, Sasuke turned on the light and saw someone was waiting for him. He let out a long sighed. There was a smiling lady on his bed. "Why are you here?" he lazily asked, as he put his sword on the table and sat on the couch. The lady was not naked this time, she wore a flowery kimono. "I'm here to entertain you, Uchiha-sama" she cheekily answered. Ignoring the lady, Sasuke walked to the bathroom. The lady immediately followed him. "Don't follow me… I don't want you to be here" he coldly stated making the lady terrified. "I expect you to be gone once I finish" he said before he closed the door on the lady's face. The lady pouted but she did go away.

After showering, Sasuke went out of the bathroom. He scanned the room for the lady. She was nowhere to be seen. Sasuke then locked his room. "Sasuke-kun…" greeted someone from behind. His eyes widened in mere seconds, he turned around. The lady smiled at him. Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Amisa… I don't see you just now" he said. "I was waiting for you on the bed" Amisa pointed to the bed. Sasuke noticed the curtain at the bedside. "You requested for me, didn't you? Yuu-chan just now said so, you didn't want her. She thought you must've wanted me instead" she softly spoke. Sasuke grimaced. _"The lady just now must have confused for what I said… dammit!"_ he thought.

"I don't…" said Sasuke, as he made his way to the drawer. "Now, just go…" he added, glancing at the lady. She was pouting. "Am I not pretty enough?" she mumbled. Sasuke thought he heard it wrong, he turned to the lady. Her cheeks turned deep pink, like she was going to cry. "What?" muttered Sasuke. "Or my skin isn't soft enough? Or I don't smell sweet enough?" she continued rambling. Sasuke gaped. He did not like where this is going. "Stop it. I don't know what you're saying" said Sasuke. He somehow looked angry.

Amisa gasped. "Then why do you refuse me?" she asked, almost yelling. The raven haired guy stayed silent. He had nothing to say, just wanted to end this quickly. "You sound like a whore" Sasuke smirked. Amisa was startled. His word, the word he referred her to, it sounded so painful. She trembled a little. Slowly, she clasped her hands together so that it was not so obvious. She tore her gaze away from the guy.

"What do you want actually?" asked Sasuke, still focusing on the trembling lady. Amisa stayed silent. She felt bad at the rejection. But she was confused herself. Is it because of Sasuke's rejection or is it because she felt like a whore. "You're… you're right…" she mumbled. Sasuke tilted his head a little as he could not registered of what she said. "But… Sasuke-kun…" Amisa lifted her head and braved herself to stare into the onyx. "…am I not worth it? Will… I ever worth it?" she asked. Sasuke frowned at her question.

Slowly, Sasuke walked towards the lady. As he was mere inches away from her, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. Her lips was sealed and forcefully kissed. The lady struggled for air and tried to get away but her attempt was in vain. She managed to let out a small moan sometimes but was instantly devoured by Sasuke. As if he wanted to eat her lips.

After moments of struggling and force kissing, they parted. Sasuke too, was gasping for air. Amisa felt the urge to cry, she touched her pained lips. "Isn't this what you want?" said Sasuke in between his breathing. Amisa looked at him. He turned into a beast to her. The lady turned away and tried to escape when Sasuke stopped her. In no time, she was pinned to the bed. "Why… Why do you do this?" asked Amisa with cracked voice. "Because…" Sasuke noticed that her eyebrow furrowed deeply. "…I wanted to…" he continued. And he continued to kiss her –slowly, passionately.

Amisa's struggle grew weaker as the kiss grew more intense. She neither rejected the kiss nor did she reply to it. She just let him do his way. Slowly the kiss moved to her slender neck. She did have soft skin, he thought. And he breathed in her sweet smell. Slowly, Sasuke pulled the kimono that was in his way to have the rest of her skin. Amisa's shoulder was exposed. Sasuke leaned to have the taste of her newly exposed skin. He nipped onto her skin slowly. Sometimes it hurt, but Amisa rather bite her bottom lip than letting out any sound.

Her whole body twitched at the feeling of being stimulate. It was a kind of betrayal that her body gave her. An emotion she never felt before. She held the urge to moan or gasp anyway, as to offense the guy that was trying so hard to please himself. Unsatisfied, or driven by growing lust, Sasuke too, removed his towel. Then he removed Amisa's kimono totally. Sasuke kissed and sucked her breasts that it almost drives her crazy. She eventually moaned and trembled a little. Sasuke smirked.

Amisa could felt that her womanhood was now tingling and throbbing, wanting attention. She also felt embarrassed and guilty as she did wet herself in pleasure. Sasuke stopped his journey down to her body; he was now hard down there. It was stiffened and throbbing. Amisa looked at Sasuke's thing that jerk out and throb in hardness. Her breathing fastened.

"Sasuke-kun...I...ahh..." Amisa let out a small cry. She too was not sure if it was the cry of protest or a need for more stimulation. Sasuke explored every inch of her soft skin and gave them a short kiss. Amisa just moan softly, taking in the electrifying sensation. She tugged softly on Sasuke's dark hair. Arriving at her womanhood, Sasuke could saw it was actually wet with pleasure juice. He slowly caressed the sensitive area and that made Amisa moaned louder and her body twitched in pleasure.

"You're so wet. Why?" Sasuke jokingly asked as he leaned over on top of Amisa, while he inserted his middle finger into her womanhood. Amisa's eyes widen in shocked, her cheeks was deep pink. "Ahh... ahn... please, stop it" she begged. Ignoring this, Sasuke kissed her and inserted his second finger and finger-fuck her for awhile. Amisa tremble a little underneath of Sasuke, as the guy pinned her down and savoring the moment, listening to the moaning and panting lady.

After a while of foreplay and rough finger-fucking, Sasuke stopped. He looked at his fingers, covered with Amisa's love juice. "You're... wet and sticky" he said. He then put his tip at the entrance of Amisa's womanhood and positioned himself for the next step. Amisa was shocked at the feeling of something touching her sensitive door. Sasuke leaned down a little, tried not to crush the lady at the same time. Amisa was breathing hard as she wondered what it would feel.

Slowly, Sasuke pushed his thing in. Amisa tighten her grab on the bed sheet as she felt hurt as her womanhood being ripped off. "Arghh..." Sasuke too, grunted as he felt Amisa's tightness. Then he inserted it fully with one thrust and Amisa screamed in pain. Sasuke too felt the pressure and was throbbing inside of her. Sasuke then realized that she was bleeding. He frowned and steadied his pace. _"A virgin?"_ he thought.

Steadily, Sasuke kept on thrusting in and out of Amisa. "Ahh...haahh... it...it hurts..." whined the lady as she spread her leg a little more to give more space and reduce the pain. Anyway, with more thrust Sasuke made, the pain slowly gone and being replaced with pure pleasure. Sasuke lifted Amisa's hip to give himself more leverage. The lady wrapped her legs around Sasuke's hip tightly as she tried to hold in the pleasure. They kissed and Sasuke increased his pace. Sasuke grunted, fighting his own limit. He then pushed on Amisa's thigh while moving faster. Amisa's womanhood was now fully exposed. She was wet with blood and juices.

"Ahh... ahhhnn... haahhh" was all that left her lips. Amisa was panting and her body twitched receiving the force. She arched her back as she felt her climax coming. Sasuke grunted when the lady trembled underneath of him, reaching her own climax. She was wet and her walls tighten. He knew he could not hold any longer, he gave a few more deep thrust before he emptied it inside of her. Sasuke leaned and stayed on top of Amisa, catching his own breath. They were both breathing heavily. He ended it with a soft kiss on her lips. Sasuke moved to Amisa's side, they cuddled. Amisa stared at the guy's face, while Sasuke drifted off to sleep. He was worn out.


	9. Encounter

**Disclaimer: Standard.**

* * *

"They were killed last night. What a terrible thing…" said Yoji, one of Naruto's colleagues. Yoji was covering his mouth and nose. Meanwhile, Naruto was observing the corpses of the Matsuyama brothers. They were brutally killed.

The younger brother's body was only a few feet apart from the older brother. The smell of blood filled the room. "What is the cause of death?" asked Naruto as he crouched closer to the pool of blood. "A slashed to the throat and several stabbed wounds on the body. They literally bled to death. Pitiful, I would say…" said Yoji, he was new in the team. Naruto looked at the guy.

"Pity? They somehow deserved it. They tortured and killed those children, you know" said Naruto. Yoji was rather stunned. "They're dead, senpai. They were killed" he said with eyebrows deeply furrowed. "They could be judged differently" he added. Naruto shook his head.

"They are murderers. They deserved to be killed" said Naruto. "Senpai… it can't be that you're actually on the assassin's side!" said Yoji with anger in his tone. Naruto ignored his comment, he left the place. Yoji was a bit put off.

/-/

"So, Uchiha-sama, you're going back tomorrow, aren't you?" asked Renzai, over the table. They were having a grand breakfast, just the two of them. Sasuke nodded at him.

"Are your _business_ here finished? Pardon me to ask such question…" said the fat guy, ending it with a chuckle. Putting his spoon down, Sasuke looked at him. "Not really. I got my hands full, so I guess I failed miserably" said the Uchiha, gazing upon a certain dark haired lady, almost smirking.

Renzai somehow caught the eye contact between Sasuke and Amisa. "A-ahh… I guess you can't help it then" he smiled. "But will it anger Monobe-dono? Or will it not?" he asked. Sasuke gave him a questioning look. "If he were to get angry at your failed mission, I think I'll back you up" said Renzai. Sasuke nodded a little.

"Anyway, I've got news earlier this morning. The Matsuyama brothers were killed last night" said Renzai. He peered onto the Uchiha. "It wasn't you, was it?" Renzai continued, leaning closer to the table. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He did not say a word. In the end Renzai leaned back on his chair, he let out a long awkward laugh. "Don't tensed up, Uchiha-sama. I hope it wasn't you" he smiled, an uncertain smile.

After the breakfast, Sasuke came to Amisa, asking to have a talk with her. He gave her a look in the eyes; a look that was not asking for permission but rather, a demanding one. "Yes, in the garden" she said, leading their way to the backyard.

/-/

Later that night, Naruto was on night duty with a colleague. They patrolled around the city. It was so silent, so peaceful in the middle of the night. Only their footsteps were heard clearly. Sometimes dogs barking were heard from a distant. They walked silently, until Yoji broke it. "I… I'm sorry about earlier today" he muttered.

Naruto turned to him, frowning. "What?" he asked. Yoji cleared his throat purposely, and walked in front of his senpai. "I don't mean to, you know, to speak like that…" he said. Naruto thought for awhile. He then smiled.

"No worry, Yoji. You have your own way of thinking, that's good" said Naruto, as he jokingly hit Yoji's shoulder. Yoji scowled in pain at his senpai, and then they both chuckled. Suddenly Yoji stopped. His eyes were focused somewhere among the houses. Naruto looked at Yoji's face. He seems shocked.

"What is it?" asked Naruto. Slowly, Yoji turned to Naruto. "I just… I thought I saw something just now" he said, almost whispering. Naruto turned to look at the alley in front of them. "What thing?" asked Naruto. His voice was shaky; he could even felt a shiver down his spine.

"On the roof…" added Yoji. Naruto's eye widened, he turned again, towards the houses. The blonde was a scaredy cat. He hates ghost stories to the point he actually despise them. He was not afraid of the dark itself, but the creatures that lurk in the darkness. "Don't… don't scare me…" muttered Naruto as he slowly getting closer to Yoji. He could felt the palm of his hands were wet.

"I saw it moving across those roofs… like this" said Yoji, gesturing his hand in the air, pointing from roof to roof. Naruto did not want to look at the roof again. The sky was pitched black and the alley was dark too. He swore he could saw nothing. The oil lamp that he had in his hand was not bright enough to light the path in front of them. Only the almost full moon shone upon them. Even that was not bright enough.

Yoji took a while to register what he just saw. Then only he realized that Naruto was shaking next to him. He grimaced at his senpai. "Senpai…" he said, touching Naruto's shoulder. And that made the blonde jolted. "Arghh… don't touch me like that!" he yelped. Yoji gaped. He could not believe that his senpai was a total coward.

"Yo-yoji… how could you see it?" Naruto was breathing hard, one hand clenching on Yoji's sleeve. "…it was a total darkness up there. Unless… the thing was some white clothe…..." Naruto dropped his oil lamp, as he covered both his ears and let out a silent scream. Yoji just stood there, watching his senpai scaring himself.

"Naruto-senpai… I just saw a glimpse of it. I don't actually saw it" said Yoji, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder, to ease the guy. "Maybe my eyes were just playing tricks on me. Like you said, it was pitched black out there" Yoji sighed. Naruto tried to compose himself back. His breathing started to be even. "Ah… I guess you're right. Hey, don't scare your senpai like that next time" said Naruto. He was blushing from embarrassment, but it was too dark for Yoji to realize it. Then they moved on.

/-/

The night was greeted by heavy rain. A shadow was moving from roof to roof. It moved swiftly and gracefully, with little sound as possible as to not let anyone heard his presence. "Shit…" Sasuke cursed under his breath as the rain was so heavy, it might slow him down.

Sasuke just arrived at the mansion and he immediately jumped over the fence. He reached the ground with a loud thud. Luckily the rain was so heavy that the nearby guards did not hear him. One of the guards turned to look at the fence. He was puzzled. "What's wrong?" asked another guard. "Nah, nothing. Maybe it's my imagination. I thought… I saw someone there just now" he said, after awhile. They laughed it off, saying that it might be because of their lack of sleep.

Meanwhile, Sasuke made his way to the backyard of the main house. He left a trail of puddle on the porch. Sasuke walked silently, tried to remember the floor plan that he spent hours memorizing it. But the dim light along the hallway made it difficult for him to know where he actually was.

Suddenly he heard someone was coming. Sasuke rushed into the room nearby. He silently stayed inside until he heard a rustle from behind. Quickly, Sasuke turned to the sound. His eyes widened in shocked. A lady was on the bed, staring at him. He must have woken her up, he thought. The lady was about to open her mouth, when in seconds, Sasuke was in front of her. He covered her mouth with his hand. "Shh…" he whispered. The lady eyes widened, clearly of fear.

The lady did not flinch a bit. She breathed in to his damp hand. It was cold. Her heart beats unevenly, as she locked her gaze to the onyx in front of her. It was dark in her room, but the little light shone into her room from the window, was all it takes for her to admire the handsome features of the intruder. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, as he sensed the weight from the lady's stare. Her eyes looked at him intently.

"Huh?" a guard stopped on his track as he stepped on a puddle of water. He followed the trail and it end in front of a room. He yelled to get the other guards' attention, as he flung open the door. "Milady… where are you?!" he frantically looked around the room, as the lady was not in her bed.

"Milady…" he muttered. The lady was standing next to the window, looking out into the heavy rain. "…are you okay?" he asked. The other guards arrived too. The lady turned to the anxious guards. "Will I ever see him again?" she said.

* * *

**A/N: Just a short chapter. Happy reading!**


	10. Move

**Disclaimer: Standard. I own some OCs. And the plot.**

* * *

Naruto was sitting by the pond at his home. He was waiting for Hinata to come. Meanwhile his mind was thinking of Sasuke. _"Did he forget?"_ he thought, letting out a small sigh. Last few days, he was all excited to see the Uchiha once again and now he was nowhere to be seen. _"At least he could have told me where he lived… or even let me know when he left the town. Now, he just…"_ his thought was disrupted by the sound of someone coming.

"Naruto-kun… let's go" said Hinata with her usual soft voice. Naruto got up to meet his wife. They were going out of the town. "You've been doing this all these years. It's my second time…" said Hinata, holding Naruto's hand. Naruto gave her a slight smile. His eyes were staring blank. They got on the horse carriage and went off early that morning.

"I think… he never came" said Naruto suddenly. Hinata looked at him. Her husband was looking out of the small opening on the carriage. "Who?" she asked. The sound of the horse stamping was louder than her voice. Naruto looked at her. "Sasuke. I've told him about today. I think he just forgot" he said. Hinata could see his disappointment. It was knitted on his eyebrows.

Slowly caressing Naruto's hand, Hinata leaned against his shoulder. "That's why I've always loved you, Naruto-kun" she said. Naruto peered on the lady. "You've always compassionate to others around you. I thanked you for that…" she added. Naruto pulled her closer, putting an arm around her. "Thank you…" he said, resting his head on Hinata's dark hair, giving her a short kiss.

/-/

After awhile of journeying out of town, Naruto and Hinata have arrived. They walked for awhile up a small mountain before they reached a lone tree. A stone was buried below it, written 'Uchiha Itachi'. Hinata put the offering next to the stone, while Naruto clean up the area a bit. Long grass had grown around the place. "You've grown taller" said Naruto, smiling, looking at the tree. It was planted on the day they made this memorial. Then they both prayed for awhile.

"Come on" said Naruto as he reached out his hand. Hinata turned to look at the grave again before they leave. _"Itachi-san must be proud of you_" she silently thought, while eyeing her husband. She smiled.

From afar, Sasuke looked at the couple as they left the grave. Naruto never failed to visit Itachi's grave every year. And so was he. He could never forget the day. Itachi was his brother after all. Naruto might not know it; he might think that Sasuke was disrespectful. But he was not, and he did not even care if that blondie never knew.

/-/

"Weapon seize?" asked Naruto. He was in Neji's office. "Yes and every team had to do this inspection. No exception, every house, everyone. Young and old" said Neji. Naruto nodded before he left. He vaguely remembered Neji's briefing on this few days ago. The council was not so pleased with the growing rumor about the assassin. And that scared off the merchants and traders from coming into town. The business was slow and shops were closing. Naruto knew this was necessary, but it will not help much.

The Konoha city was busy that day and days to come. Hyuuga police station was even busier, with people coming from all over the area, with their weapons of any sort. "The heirloom was to be the only exception" said the captain. However, heirloom was a problem too. They have to assign a letter of ownership to the weapons owner.

Even the Hyuuga mansion was searched. No exception. All the swords were family heirloom, thus all of it had a letter of ownership. Then the trade of any kind of weapons was monitored. Weapons that have no clear origin were seized and kept in the station. It was almost a success to the city when people from other town started to come again.

"Took us more than a week though to earn this" said Yoji as he was on duty with Naruto. The city was once again crowded with merchants from all over the place and the town was busy again. "But… it was weird that the assassin did not do anything. As if, he was on holiday?" said Yoji. Naruto looked at him. "Assassin does have holidays, huh?" Naruto chuckled. "Who knows… or he was not in town?" said Yoji. Naruto pondered at his colleague words. He does have a point there.

"What if the assassin still coming back after this?" asked Naruto. Yoji turned to him. "The city main entrance was guarded. Since the new law applied, it would be hard for outsiders to bring weapons in" explained Yoji. He was somewhat proud of himself being to understand the situation.

"But the law didn't apply to swordsmen. Many people out there were descendants of samurai" said Naruto. Yoji gaped at his senpai. "You're right senpai" muttered Yoji.

/-/

Loud clang was heard from the Hyuuga main lawn. Naruto and Neji were practicing kendo together. It had been their favorite past time. However, Naruto's mind was not really there, he often thought of something else. Neji could see that his in-law was not focused.

"Naruto…" he tried to catch the blonde attention. But he did not respond. His movement was agile as usual but the way he swung the wooden stick, it was filled with anger. Neji was on the defense most of the time. He tried to follow Naruto's flow but the guy was as skilled as himself, giving him a hard time. Neji grunted each time he received a blow from Naruto. The blondie swung high and hit hard. His eyes were peering into Neji's, but the Hyuuga knew, Naruto was not actually seeing him there.

Hinata too, realizing this. Naruto's attack was harsh, almost as if he really wanted to hit Neji. She knew Naruto was still disappointed with Sasuke's leaving just like that. And work gave him a hard time too. He did not take any day off since last week and continued to work on shifts every day.

"Naruto… this is anger" said Neji in between his hard breathing. Naruto's eyes widened in seconds, his movement halted. He dropped his wooden stick. Neji looked at him. "Why?" asked Neji. Naruto picked up his stick again. His eyebrows knitted closer. "Nothing. I'm sorry" he bowed to Neji and left the compound. Neji was lost of word. He had seen Naruto got angry before, but this one is different. _"…as if he wanted to kill someone"_ Neji thought.

/-/

Later that night, Naruto lie on the bed. His eyes were focusing on the ceiling. His mind was somewhere else. "Naruto-kun?" said Hinata, taking her place next to Naruto. The guy was snapped out of his thought, he turned to his wife. "Neji nii-san told me about earlier this evening. Anything the matter? Wanna talk to me about it?" she softly asked, while slowly resting her head onto Naruto's broad chest. Naruto let out a low grunt as he moved a bit and wrapped Hinata around his arm.

"I'm just… I'm thinking about things. Many things…" he said. "About what thing? You can tell me, if you want…" said Hinata. Naruto gave her a bitter smile. "About us… about… Sasuke" he muttered. Hinata got up, resting her head on her arm, still eyeing the guy. "You've never really share anything with me…" she trailed her hand across Naruto's bare chest. The guy stiffened. "I just don't want to burden you… with my own thoughts" he said, leaning closer to Hinata. "I love you, Hinata…" he whispered.

They stared into each other's eyes before Hinata slowly cut the distance between them. She kissed his lips. Naruto did not immediately reply. He let the lady parted his lips and gave him a demanding kiss. Warmness rushed all over Naruto's body as Hinata slowly pushed him onto the bed. They continued kissing. Then parted, gasping for air. All of Naruto's thoughts had been swept away.

Hinata's cheek was burning. She was now on top of the guy. She denied the urge of wanting him to fuck her right away. She was always shy. Asking for such thing was a taboo for her. Naruto however was turned on himself. Slowly, he ran his hands upward from underneath of her thin sleeping gown. Hinata's was blushing madly, she gasped. She could felt Naruto's rough palms move across her soft skin. Naruto groped at her big breasts and earned moans from the lady. She was indeed busty. And he was always wondering how they got that big.

"Hinata… what do you want from me?" asked Naruto, now half sitting. He wrapped his arms around her waist, still keeping her on his lap. The lady's breathing was uneven and Naruto could felt that her body grew warmer. He kissed her again, while hands running along Hinata's curves. They parted again only for Naruto to pulled off Hinata's gown over her head. She now only had her panty on.

"I… I want it… Naruto-kun…" said Hinata, stuttering. Naruto smiled slightly at her. He wanted it too, but hearing her asking for it was more satisfactory. While Naruto was busy kissing her neck, one hand massaging her bust, the other hand was going under; rubbing her womanhood. She twitched at the sense of her husband's finger running along her sensitive area. She wet herself. Hinata too, could felt the bulge underneath of her. She could not wait to see it.

Slowly, she removed Naruto's short pants and her panty too then threw it somewhere on the floor. Naruto's _pride_ sprung. Hinata gave him a smile before she made the guy grunted of pleasure. She _serviced_ him. Naruto closed his eyes, savoring the sensation at his lower half. He spread his legs even more. When he felt that it was hard enough, he stopped Hinata. The lady crawled on top of him again.

"You wanted it this way?" muttered Naruto, giving his cheeky smile. Hinata nodded slightly. Then she positioned herself on top of him. Naruto simply eyed her and enjoy the ride. He grunted at her tightness. He had always loved her warmness as his busy work life making it difficult for him to enjoy this often. This night was one of the exceptions, since he worked on day shift.

Hinata moved her body on top of Naruto, while her hands ran along her curves. It made Naruto's mind went crazy. He looked at the lady on top of him. She was totally enjoying the ride. Her hands ran along her sides, her thighs and sometimes groping her own breasts. Her busts were shaking on her chest along with her movement. Naruto grunted at both the pleasure he felt and the sexy busty figure on top of him. Her pace was uneven and sometimes Hinata leaned over to Naruto and let the guy thrust into her. She muffled her scream onto his collarbone.

Naruto knew he could not last long with this position, but he knew Hinata was not ready to give up. He held the urge to pin her down and fuck her senseless. His limit was there somehow. Naruto grunted and he forced himself to lean over. The lady's eyes widened as she felt the thrust went deeper and hit the right spot. Now half sitting, Naruto held Hinata's hip in place and help her moved. "Ahhhnn… Na… Naruto...kun..." she mumbled in between her moaned. She was at her limit too.

"Hahhn… Ahh… Ahhhn…" was all the syllable that Hinata managed to came out with. She moved her hip faster and Naruto too, against hers. When Naruto felt his edge is near, he let himself slumped onto the bed again. And a few more ride, he was finished. Hinata hit her climax too, but still riding, with a decreasing pace. The guy was breathing hard and he felt his thing was tingling when Hinata was still moving slowly although he was already drained.

Hinata moved to his side and cuddled to her husband. Naruto gave her a short kiss. "That… was awesome…" he said, panting. Hinata closed her eyes. She could felt that her womanhood was throbbing pleasurably and was full of Naruto's juices. She smiled.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter will be up soon. Happy reading!**


	11. A Place to Call Home

**Disclaimer: Standard.**

**A/N: Well, this is just a brief chapter, since last chapter was a smutty and lemony chapter. Happy reading!**

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The city was peaceful again. And autumn festival was held. That evening, Naruto and Hinata went to the festival at the end of the city. Neji too, and his two children came along.

The elder son, Terumi, was holding hand with his father, while the youngest daughter, Ai was with Hinata. "Hina-oba, where are we going?" asked the little Ai. She will turn three that year. Hinata turned to the little girl. "Autumn festival. You'll get to see many cute things and fireworks" said Hinata. Ai's eyes sparkled when she heard the word 'fireworks'. She loves fireworks.

"Really? Ai-chan can't wait to get there" said Ai, giggling. As the site of the festival was getting closer, Ai's spirit heightened. "Come! Come!" she said happily, tugging on Hinata's hand. Hinata smiled at Naruto before she went forward with Ai. Naruto smiled at their sight. Neji was shooking his head, walking a bit farther in the front. Naruto fastened his pace to catch up on Neji and his son.

"Ai-chan is always this happy. Though this is her first time being here" said Naruto. "Ahh… yes. And she was always close to Hinata" said Neji, a flickered of sadness appeared in his eyes. Ai had always reminded him of his wife. She died after giving birth to Ai.

"I'm glad that Ai-chan is such a happy kid" said Naruto. Then he peeked on Terumi. The older brother was a quiet one. He was six years old and he seldom smile so much, contrasting her sister, Ai. "Maybe she just needs the love of a mother" muttered Neji. Naruto looked at Neji. He somehow regretted saying it, as he could saw the sadness on Neji's face.

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When they arrived at the festival, Naruto was gaping. "There are… so many people here" he said. "Well, since it's been a long time since nothing was held in the city, I think the mayor just wanted to have a grand festival" said Neji as he walked around with Terumi. Naruto, on the other hand, was looking for Hinata and Ai. But it was not easy to look for someone in the sea of people.

"Naruto-senpai!" Yoji was patting on Naruto's back. The blonde turned around. "Eh, Yoji? I knew I'll see you here" Naruto chuckled. He then realized that there was a girl standing behind Yoji. She was pretty in her dark blue kimono. "Your girlfriend?" asked Naruto. Yoji had this almost pink tint on his cheeks, he nodded. "Yeah, she's Rin that I used to tell you about" said Yoji. His girlfriend smiled coyly. Naruto returned her smile. "Anyway, enjoy the festival. I'm looking for my wife, actually" said Naruto before he left.

After awhile of walking around, Naruto found Hinata and Ai. They were at a game booth. Hinata was trying her luck to catch a goldfish using the paper net. "Let me try" said Naruto. Hinata was glad to see Naruto. "Ai-chan wanted a fish…" said Ai to Naruto, while tugging on his shirt lightly. "Okay, Ai-chan… I'll try my best then…" said Naruto, pinching on the girl's cheek slightly. Hinata smiled at her husband. She could imagine herself having a child with Naruto someday.

Then the fireworks extravaganza started. Everyone was looking up the sky to see the flickering of colorful light scattered in the air. Naruto was holding hand with Hinata. He peeked on his wife. "Ai-chan… she was asleep before this started" whispered Naruto. Ai was sleeping on Naruto's shoulder. Anyway, the fireworks show was usually at the end of the festival. It was way past Ai's bedtime. "Yeah, too bad for her" said Hinata, stroking on Ai's hair softly.

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Meanwhile, from afar, Sasuke looked at the night sky. Small flickers of light were seen from the direction of Konoha city. Sasuke was relaxing in his room, in a small inn outside of town. He was there for the night before he continued his journey back to Iwa city early next morning.

Sasuke closed the window and prepared the futon. As he lie down, his thought reeling to the memories of his childhood. The little fireworks show just now reminded him of Itachi and Naruto on the same occasion. It happened long time ago during summer festival, in Konoha city, a place he used to call his home. Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to sleep. However, the memories were still lingering in his head.

/

_"__Nii-san… we must go to the city tonight!" pleaded Sasuke. "Yeah… we must go see the fireworks! Please…" Naruto pleaded too. They both were tugging softly onto Itachi's sleeve. The older Uchiha was busy washing dishes while the two little boys begging him. "If you two keep quiet for at least 10 minutes, we'll go…" said Itachi. Both Sasuke and Naruto was wide eyes, they sat down silently. Itachi chuckled as he never knew they would obey him._

_Somehow, they really went to the city that night. It was the last day of the festival. The joy of watching fireworks scattered above their heads was one memorable experience._

/

Sasuke continued his journey back to Iwa city. And he arrived at the Kaguryu mansion late in the evening. The guards were startled at his arrival. "Sasuke-sama…" they opened the door for him. Sasuke went straight to the main house. As expected, Monobe was there.

"To-san…" Sasuke bowed slightly to the man in front of him. The man was in his late forty, with well build figure. "How's your mission? I bet you've done well" said Monobe. His voice was deep, but clear. Making him sounded fierce. Sasuke did not say a word, he handed him a scroll. "Fine, you can go now. I bet that you're tired" said Monobe. Sasuke nodded and left the room.

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The next morning, Sasuke had his breakfast as usual, with Monobe, his stepfather and his two step-siblings; Takizawa and Nami. It had been almost a months since Sasuke last having breakfast with them. Monobe was pleased to have him around, and his stepsister, Nami too. However, his stepbrother, Takizawa, was a different thing. He hated it when Sasuke was around.

"I missed having breakfast with you, Sasuke nii-san…" said Nami. She always had a soft spot for Sasuke. "To-san is too bad; he always put you on some ridiculous mission outside of town. I've missed you so much…" she chuckled. Takizawa snorted.

"Spar with me" said Takizawa after the breakfast. It was his usual way to say hi to Sasuke, each time the Uchiha was home. Sasuke did not refuse, they headed to the dojo. He hated it when Takizawa wanted to fight him but it will be a disgrace if he refuses. Although, Sasuke will always win. In his heart, he was happy. This is a place he called home for these ten years.

"Get out now or stay to see our fight" said Takizawa to his father's disciples that were in the dojo, practicing in the first place. Some of them were sick of the brother's fight, they went out. Some stayed to watch the fight. Sasuke was ready at the end of the dojo while Takizawa took his place at the other end.

"Your sword…" said Takizawa. Sasuke frowned at his statement. "Don't disgrace me. Take off the sheath" Takizawa stated. He held his sword in his hand. Sasuke sighed. "We've never taken it off before" said Sasuke. Takizawa almost let out a laugh, he peered at Sasuke. "What? Are you that scare?" he asked. "No, I just don't want to hurt you…" said Sasuke. And that was the breaking point. Takizawa charged at Sasuke in anger. "What did you say?!" he screamed.

Sasuke stood his ground, shielding himself using the sword, still with its sheath on. "You think you can put a scratch on me?!" Takizawa was furious. He attacked Sasuke with all his might. The other men that was in the dojo gasped. They knew it was wrong when Takizawa decided to fight with a real sword. It was against Monobe's rule.

Sasuke did not do anything but defend himself. Takizawa lashed his anger towards him. Well, Sasuke was used to this. Only that this time, Takizawa removed the sheath. Sasuke's sword sheath was damaged bit by bit.

"What are you two doing?!" asked Monobe from the end of the dojo. Takizawa immediately halted his attack. They both were shocked to see their father coming. "Taki, you disobey me" he said when he saw his unsheathed sword. Takizawa gritted his teeth. He glared at Sasuke then left the place. Monobe eyed his son. He sighed a little. "Sasuke, you too, leave the dojo" he said. Sasuke nodded and turned away to leave the place.

Monobe knew his sons too well. They had always fought each other since they were young. "Leave" he said to the other disciples, as him too, leaving the place. Deep inside, Monobe was worried if the two sons will end up with swords on each other's throat.


	12. Uchiha Sasuke

**Disclaimer: Standard.**

**A/N: A chapter to reveal some of Sasuke's past. Happy reading!**

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It was ten years ago when Sasuke was invited into the Kaguryu family. One of Monobe's disciples found him and brought him home. He was found sick in front of the mansion. For days, the Kaguryu attended to him until he was back to health. Monobe saw the potential in Sasuke's eyes and having nowhere to go; he let Sasuke stayed with them.

The Kaguryu fed Sasuke, clothe him and trained him. Monobe's kindness made his own son, Takizawa felt more distant. He was never so close to his father but now someone else was taking his place. His father trained Sasuke personally, was not the case but the fact that Sasuke learned very fast that made him jealous. It only took a week of physical training, and Sasuke was considered better in hand-to-hand combat. "He's a natural" praised Monobe over dinner. Takizawa only clenched his jaw, eating away his jealousy.

Sasuke, on the other hand, admired Takizawa. He always wanted to be as skillful as Takizawa in fighting. He never missed it when Takizawa spar with his father or the other disciples. Takizawa was always good in his sword skill only that he was harsh and forceful. And each time Sasuke tried to communicate with the guy, Takizawa simply ignored him. He even tensed when Sasuke was around. Thus, Sasuke learned by time to ignore him too.

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"Fight me!" was Takizawa's first ever words to Sasuke. He pulled onto the Uchiha sleeve and glared into his onyx. It angered Takizawa when Sasuke's eyes were calmed, staring at him. The Uchiha even accepted his invitation with a smirk. He did not know that Sasuke was glad when he asked him for a fight. Takizawa had acknowledged him.

Their first fight was supposed to be a secret. No spectator in the dojo. Takizawa was holding his wooden sword while Sasuke with his bare hands. It seems unfair. The fight went on with Takizawa literally hitting on Sasuke. As a new learner, Sasuke was still slow and was never a fair opponent to Takizawa. Sasuke succumbed to the floor, shielding himself with his arms.

Monobe came in time after being told about the fight by Nami. Later that day, Takizawa was punished for it by kneeling in front of their ancestors' altar, holding up his wooden sword. He stayed that way for the whole four hours, until he was exhausted. Meanwhile Sasuke was on his bed, bandages all over his arms. He even broke his rib. For weeks, he could not train, and Nami cared for him all the while.

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Sasuke was back to the training room once again after a month. He was given a wooden sword, just like Takizawa. And Monobe himself declared that he took Sasuke in as his own son. Takizawa did not like it a bit. Months passed with Sasuke intensively trained under his father supervision. He was getting better in his sword skill. "Sasuke nii-san is even better than Taki-nii" said Nami. And that sent Takizawa into the pit of anger. He left the dinner table.

Monobe tried so much not to let the brothers fight each other. But no matter what he did, Takizawa will never like Sasuke. That side of Monobe which made Sasuke respecting him most. He was serious during training but the other time; he was just a gentle father. "Taki... he was just like his mother. Strong-willed, never wither. But Taki is a bit harsh in his approached and he just doesn't like competitors. And you're a tough competitor" said Monobe when Sasuke asked why Takizawa disliked him.

So much for Sasuke to ignore Takizawa's jealousy, he was challenged for a fight once again. This time, both of them will fight with the wooden swords. The fight begin, and they were at par. None of them was giving up. Both attacked with the same force. The realization of Sasuke being able to counterattack him, made Takizawa fueled with rage. But again, the fight was halted by Monobe. This time, they were both punished.

The whole afternoon was spent with Sasuke on his knees, holding up his wooden sword, in front of the ancestors' altar. Takizawa was next to him. They did not speak a single word. The punishment ended when the two gave up. They could not even walk on their own. For a week, Sasuke's legs were still shaking because of the punishment. But it did not hinder his father to still train him harshly. Sasuke's years of growing up were all training and fighting with his brother.

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Years passed. Sasuke grew up becoming a strong and handsome young man. And his swordsman skill was nearly perfect. He was admired by ladies for his handsome figure and strong physique. Meanwhile, men respected him for his prowess in battle. He was considered second to his father in swords skill. Takizawa put his jealousy aside as they grew older. He even went to missions and was not home often.

Then, Sasuke too, started to go on missions. He accepted missions from his father when he was at the age of twenty. And from then on, he was always away on his mission. He seldom failed his father's request and quickly, he became a favorite to his father. Takizawa felt even more threatened. He hated the fact that Sasuke had a place in his father's heart and even Nami's, she had always cared for Sasuke.

Monobe had acknowledged Sasuke's skill in swords and his compassion when confronting his opponent. He did not resolve to violent so fast and only draw his sword when needed. That made Monobe believe he could put the responsibility onto Sasuke. As a descendant of samurai himself, Monobe was glad he had found a perfect heir.

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Present time.

Sasuke was now a twenty five years old young man. And he was now part of Kaguryu's clan and he had vowed to be loyal to his father. Thus, waking up that morning, Sasuke felt glad he was home again.

However, he recalled the yesterday's fight with Takizawa. It had been a long time since they last fight with each other. Sasuke unconsciously smiled. Although, he was a bit taken aback at Takizawa's request of having their sword unsheathed. So much for Sasuke wanted to fight Takizawa; he never had the intention to actually hurt him.


	13. Unexpected News

**Disclaimer: Standard**

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Amisa woke up late. She could not bring her eyes to sleep last night. She had a headache and was losing her appetite. She sat on her bed, with her head pounding. It had been more than a week since she started to feel sick. "I wonder when it will go away…" she muttered, slowly getting up. As she stood next to the bed, she felt the world was spinning around. She felt a sudden urge to vomit and threw up on the floor.

"Amisa-chan is sick?" asked Renzai to one of his maid. The maid nodded. She told him that Amisa suddenly threw up in her room. Renzai rubbed his chin. "I better go and see her" he said. Later that afternoon, he went to Amisa's room. She slowly sat on her bed when Renzai came in.

"Renzai-sama…" she said with her cracked voice. Renzai sat next to her bed. He could see that the lady was pale white. "What makes you so sick?" he asked. Amisa looked at him with her weak eyes; she was trying hard to hold the urge to vomit. "I don't know…" she muttered. "I'll call Mina obaa-san for you then" said Renzai, as he gestured his hand to his maid. Mina is Renzai's personal medic.

It did not take long for Mina to come and check up on Amisa. "When did you started to feel sick?" asked Mina. "Weeks ago" said Amisa. Mina nodded and checked on Amisa's pulse. "So, you threw up this morning?" asked Mina while continued on checking Amisa's body. "Yes… I always feel like throwing up when I wake up" explained Amisa. Nodded, Mina took out a small container from her bag. "Pee here" said Mina, giving Amisa the small glass container. Amisa blushed, she looked at Renzai. The chubby man did not flinch.

After peeing in the bathroom, Amisa came out and gave the container back to Mina. The old lady did her job and few minutes later, she sat next to Amisa, with a smile on her face. "You are with a child, my dear" said Mina as she started to prescribe some herbs for Amisa to drink. Amisa, on the other hand, was gaping at what she just heard. "I'm… I'm pregnant?" she asked, and turned her worried gaze towards Renzai. The man did not react anyway. "Yes, and now you have to rest a lot. These are some herbs to help relieve your morning sickness. I'll pass it to the maid" said Mina, before she left. Amisa nodded weakly.

"I guessed it just right" said Renzai as he took a seat next to Amisa's bed. The lady frowned deeply at him. "And… I think I knew who the father is…" he added. "What should I do?" asked Amisa, resting her hand on her stomach. "Hm… should I tell him?" asked Renzai somehow. Amisa replied with an uncertain look in her eyes. She felt like crying. "Renzai-sama… I… I just follow whatever you say" she muttered. Renzai nodded slightly, he then got up.

"Then, I'll have the messenger to pass this news to Uchiha-sama" said Renzai, eyeing the worried lady. "Now, just rest. You know how much I like to see my girls to always smile. You've just giving me the most awful face" he said, with a chuckled before he left the room. Amisa smiled bitterly. She felt happy but nervous and scared at the same time.

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Three days had passed since Amisa knew she was pregnant. She had received a lot of comments from the people around her, especially the other ladies. Some of them were happy for her; some just labeled her a whore. But Amisa still have faith in Sasuke. She knew he would not abandon her just like that as she remembered his promise before he left months ago.

_/Flashback…_

_It was the day that he demanded to talk to her in private; a day before he went back. "I want to talk to you, alone" demanded Sasuke. His face had shown her that she could not refuse. Amisa nodded slightly. "Yes, in the garden" she said, leading their way to the backyard. Sasuke followed her._

_They went to one of the gardens in Zumioshi's mansion. Amisa stopped at the bridge, over a small pond. "What is it? We can talk in the room tonight, you know" said Amisa, smiling. Sasuke eyed the lady. "I can't. I have things to do tonight" said Sasuke. Amisa turned to the guy. "You mean you're going somewhere?" she asked. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He did not want the lady to mind his business. "Not that" he said then tore his gaze away._

_"__You're difficult…" Amisa chuckled. Sasuke snorted at the lady. "I'll come back for you…" said Sasuke. Amisa stopped chuckling. She stared at the guy in front of her. Inhaled deeply, Sasuke faced her again. "Do you hear me?" he asked. He hates to repeat himself. He looked serious, no, rather annoyed. Amisa simply nodded._

/

Present time…

Amisa walked around the garden, slowly caressing her belly. She smiled. She knew Sasuke will come back for her, especially with her carrying his child. "How are you feeling?" asked the maid that accompanies her as ordered by Renzai. "Getting better, I guess. My morning sickness has receded" answered Amisa, while looking at the fishes in the pond. _"Sasuke-kun… what do you think?" _thought Amisa.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was at another city, on his mission. He was resting in a room in a small inn, reading the scroll given by his father. Suddenly, someone knocked on his door. Sasuke put the scroll away, when the inn servant came in with his lunch. After the servant served the food, he went out. Sasuke was about to start eating when he realized a letter was put next to the wooden tray. He picked it up. Zumioshi family seal was stamped at the side of the letter. _"It seems that the messenger was close_" thought Sasuke.

Sasuke took awhile to read the letter. _"Congratulation, Uchiha-sama! You're going to be a father soon. You have my blessing. From Zumioshi Renzai" _read the letter. Sasuke's eyes widened in mere seconds. He remembered vaguely the night he had with Amisa about two months ago. Images of Amisa flashed through his mind. And the thought of becoming a father made him shuddered. _"What would to-san think about this?"_

_/-/_

Two days later, Sasuke was back to Kaguryu's mansion. "I'm back" said Sasuke to his father as he handed a scroll to him. Monobe stared at him and took the scroll. Sasuke bowed and was about to turn away, when his father called out to him. "Meet me at the dojo" said Monobe. Sasuke was a little bit shocked at his father's demand. Usually it was Takizawa requesting to fight him. But somehow, he followed his father's order.

Sasuke with his sword was standing at one end of the room. Meanwhile, his father was at the other end of the room, removing the sheath of his sword. Sasuke frowned at this. "Remove your sheath. We'll fight seriously" said Monobe. His voice thundered across the room. If it was someone who did not know him well, he might have scared them away. Sasuke followed his father's order; he removed the sheath of his sword and threw it to the side.

As soon as the sheath reached the ground with a low thud, Monobe charged at Sasuke like a thunder. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, ready to defend himself. In mere seconds, Monobe was right in front of him, ready to slash him down. Sasuke immediately blocked the attack with his sword acting on reflex.

Monobe kept on attacking Sasuke without holding back. The sound made by the two swords clashing each other filled the room. And the way Monobe narrowed his eyes, clenched his jaw and the way he grabbed the sword made it clear to Sasuke that his father was serious about this fight. It seemed that he wanted to kill Sasuke literally.

As the fight was getting more intense, Sasuke was pushed to the corner of the room, knocking the table side. Monobe growled and swung his sword aiming straight to his neck. Sasuke quickly dodged below in the nick of time just to see that the wooden sculpture on the table behind him was cut clean into half.

Sasuke could not stand this continuous attack from his father, he decided to fight back. "What is your idea of getting married?!" Monobe growled while he swung down his sword onto Sasuke. The Uchiha was stunned, but managed to block the attack. "Too soon…" he said, under his breath. Somehow Monobe was not satisfied with the Uchiha's answer and thought that it was too blunt; he attacked ferociously. He managed to graze on Sasuke's left arm. Sasuke grunted in pain.

"I don't care if you slept with any women out there…" said Monobe in the middle of the intense fight. Sasuke frowned at his father's statement. "…but, getting a woman pregnant and saying that getting married is too soon…" Monobe kept on charging forward. That made Sasuke stumbled on his feet. "You're going to feel the wrath of me!" yelled Monobe as he stabbed the sword into the tatami, right next to Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke was breathing heavily, peering at the blade. He could felt the coldness of the blade pressed against his skin. Monobe gritted his teeth, glaring at Sasuke. He then pulled his sword and turned away. Sasuke slowly got up, grunted at his injured arm. "You knew?" he asked. However, Monobe walked out of the room without any word.

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"How did you hurt yourself like this?" asked Nami, as she wrapped Sasuke's arm with bandages. Sasuke kept silent. He knew that his father was furious earlier that day. During dinner, Sasuke did not have the courage to look at his father. He kept silent. Until Monobe himself, asking to see Sasuke. "Come to my place" he said. Sasuke nodded slightly. When his father said _his_ place, it was not his room, but his reading room.

Sasuke went to the reading room right after the dinner. Monobe was waiting for him. Sasuke sat across of his father. He knew exactly what his father was going to say. "Renzai had told me" said Monobe, staring at Sasuke. The Uchiha did not flinch. "So, what are you gonna do?" asked Monobe, now crossing his arms.

"I was going to tell you about this" said Sasuke. He tried so hard to look into his father's eyes. Monobe somehow had calmed down. "I thought of asking your opinion on this matter" Sasuke continued. Exhaled loudly, Monobe closed his eyes. "What do you think of the girl?" he asked. Sasuke took his time answering. His thought came back to when he met Amisa. It was a brief relationship but he did felt something for her. Especially when he had took her that night. And it was rather a force, on his side.

"I'll marry her" said Sasuke after awhile. Monobe nodded. He thought it was for the best. He did not want Sasuke to be irresponsible for what he did. "I want you to bring her here. Cancel your next mission. Go to Renzai's place instead" ordered Monobe. Sasuke nodded. He felt relieved.

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**A/N: Here's the unexpected news that Sasuke received. Anyway, this story will take a break. New chapter will be posted on the weekend. Happy reading!**


	14. Hidden Truth

**Disclaimer: Standard**

* * *

Sasuke went to Konoha city with two of his father's disciples. They arrived at Zumioshi's mansion and were greeted by Renzai. "Welcome back, Uchiha-sama. I thought you'll never come" he said, with his wide grin. "Ah, and I did send the message to Monobe-dono too. I told him that you've made one of my girls pregnant and that I need a solution" Renzai added. Sasuke nodded slightly, he remembered clearly that his father wanted to kill him because of that.

"Anyway, I've had the maids to prepare rooms for you all. So, let's now have something to eat. I bet you're all hungry" said Renzai as he led them to the dining room. The other two disciples nodded happily and followed Renzai. Sasuke followed them slowly as he tried to catch a glimpse of Amisa. But she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Amisa?" asked Sasuke during their lunch. Renzai looked at him, smiling slightly. "Ah, Amisa-chan? I think she's in her room. Her morning sickness was terrible. She could not walk around much" said Renzai. Sasuke nodded. After the lunch, he went to see Amisa in her room. The lady was startled when Sasuke entered.

"Sasuke-kun?" she said with wide eyes. Sasuke sat across of her bed. He could saw that the lady was pale and she look weak. "How are you feeling? I heard that you've had terrible morning sickness" said Sasuke. Amisa nodded. She blush a little. "But it receded. I drink herbs every morning. And that do the trick" she said. Sasuke then got up and sat next to Amisa on the bed. He held Amisa's hand and caressed it slowly.

"I thought you'll never come. Even Renzai-sama thought the same. Because it took you almost a week to reply" said Amisa. Sasuke looked at the lady beside him. "I was away when I got the news. I'm sorry" said Sasuke. Amisa somehow smiled at him.

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Later that day, Sasuke went out to the city. He thought at least he should meet Naruto once. As he arrived at the Hyuuga residence, Sasuke waited outside while the guard went to call for Naruto. After awhile, the blonde came out and he gaped. "Sasuke…" he mouthed as soon as he saw Sasuke's face. "What brings you here?" he added, and invited Sasuke to come in. They went inside.

"I thought of seeing you" said Sasuke. Naruto grinned but he did raise an eyebrow. "That's odd. You're the last person that I thought of coming to see me, Sasuke" Naruto chuckled. Sasuke somehow did not flinch. "I'm getting married" Sasuke said. And that made Naruto's jaw dropped. "What?!" he jumped on his feet. "You… you're kidding right?" said Naruto. Sasuke shook his head. "It's true. I'm here to bring her with me. We'll be leaving tomorrow" said Sasuke. Naruto slowly calmed down.

"Congrates, teme!" he said, patting on Sasuke's shoulder. The Uchiha cringed. "I think I should get going" said Sasuke and stood up. "Hey, that's too soon. You could leave after dinner, besides it's already dark" pleaded Naruto. "No, I've promised to go back before dinner" said Sasuke. Naruto felt saddened but he agreed at last. "See you again, teme!" he said as Sasuke leave. Slowly, the blondie's smile faded away.

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It was early in the morning. The surrounding was still foggy. Amisa was on her bed, combing her long dark hair. She looked around her room. "I'll be missing all this…" she muttered by herself. Suddenly, a maid came in. "Amisa-san, they're waiting" she said. Amisa nodded and gave one last look at her room before she left. The others were already at the lawn, waiting for her.

"Amisa-chan, I'm gonna miss you so much…" said Renzai, giving Amisa a hug when she arrived. Amisa could felt her tears puddle in her eyes. "I'll miss you too, Renzai-sama. You've always been so kind to me all these years" said Amisa. Renzai turned away. He gestured to his maid. The maid came over and handed a small wooden container to him.

"Amisa-chan, take this. It's something I've asked the maid to prepare for you on this journey. The trip is long and this could help to soothe you" said Renzai as he handed the container to Amisa. "Thank you" said Amisa, and tears slowly rolled over her cheeks. As Sasuke and the others were finished packing their things, he came over to Amisa. "We leave now" he said.

"Thank you" said Sasuke and bowed slightly to Renzai as he brought Amisa to the carriage. They got in the carriage and left the compound. Renzai waved goodbye to Amisa, as the lady too, waved at him. "Take care! Don't forget to visit me someday!" shouted Renzai. He stood there with a few maids and guards until the carriage was gone from their sight. "I'm gonna miss her…" he said and turned away.

/-/

Amisa sat silently in the carriage. She looked out of the small window. Cool breeze blown on her skin. She had many things in her head and mixed feelings in her chest. "You'll get cold" said Sasuke. Amisa was snapped of her thought, she turned to the guy. Sasuke closed the window. "Are you okay?" he asked. Amisa nodded with a smile. But Sasuke knew that her smile was faked as her eyebrows furrowed.

"I've had a dream once… I was in a carriage, just like this" said Amisa suddenly. Sasuke looked at her. "…I thought it was a dream because it was kinda blurry… I just can't remember it well" she said. "Maybe it was your memory?" said Sasuke. Amisa nodded slightly at him. "Maybe… I'm sure it happened when I was a kid. I was looking outside the window, like just now. And I just remember…" Amisa stopped awhile, as she stared blankly to the front. Sasuke simply waited.

"I remember that someone asked me to close the window… it was a woman's voice" she continued, and turned to Sasuke. "I think it was… my mother" she said. Sasuke held her hand. "Do you know how she look like?" he asked. Amisa frowned. She had not much memory of her mother. "No, I have so little memories of her. But I remembered when I was kidnapped…" she bit her lip. She then turned to Sasuke and smiled bitterly.

"Tell me about your family. I'm gonna meet them soon…" said Amisa. Sasuke nodded at her. "I have… a father, an older brother and a younger sister" he simply said. Amisa pouted a little. "That's all?" she asked. Suddenly, the carriage stopped abruptly. They almost stumbled to the front, but Sasuke held Amisa close to him. "Are you alright?" he asked. Amisa nodded but she was shocked somehow.

Sasuke opened the window slightly. He saw his father's disciples were fighting a group of unknown men. He quickly grabbed his sword and turned to Amisa. "Wait here!" instructed Sasuke and shut the door. "W-wait… Sasuke-kun!" yelled Amisa. As she tried to open the door, it was locked from the outside. Amisa breathe heavily in nervousness. Loud commotion was heard outside. She peered outside the window and saw that Sasuke was fighting against the assailants.

Amisa moved to the other window and noticed that the carriage was surrounded. "Get to the carriage!" yelled one of the assailants. Amisa was shocked hearing this and suddenly the door behind her broke open. "Come with me!" shouted the man as he pulled hard at Amisa's arm. "No!" screamed Amisa as she clung onto the carriage so the man could not pull her away.

As Amisa was struggling to get away, the man suddenly grunted in pain. Amisa turned and saw a sword pierced through his chest. Blood was coming out from the man's chest. Amisa's eyes widened in shocked. She quickly freed herself and slumped back. She was horrified for what she saw.

The sword was then pulled out and the man fell down. "Are you okay?!" asked the raven haired guy. Amisa was terribly shocked she didn't say anything. "Sasuke-sama! How's Amisa?" asked one of the disciple as he came running towards them. "She's fine. She's just shocked. Are they gone?" asked Sasuke. "Yes, but two of them managed to get away" he answered.

After everything was settled down, they decided to continue the journey. Sasuke went into the carriage and sat across Amisa. He could saw that Amisa was still trembling a little. "Are you okay?" asked Sasuke as he tried to reach for Amisa's hand. The lady flinched away; she looked at Sasuke with her eyebrows deeply furrowed.

"Who are you?" she asked as she could still remember the man that was killed by Sasuke. "You killed that man just now, you know" said Amisa, wondering if he had any remorse. Sasuke sighed. "I have to do it to save you" he said. Amisa turned away. She felt terrible. She tried to fight the horrible feeling she had and the urge to vomit.

"If you're a killer just like Renzai-sama said… I—" Amisa stopped. She had a lot running through her mind. "…I'm having a child of a murderer…" she continued, clasping a hand onto her mouth. She was breathing hard. Sasuke grabbed onto her shoulders, and stared into her worried eyes. "I'm not what you think I am" he said, with a deep voice. Amisa was trembling slightly.

/-/

"You're late" said Monobe, as Sasuke and the others arrived late than expected. Takizawa and Nami were there too. "Sorry. We were ambushed on our way here" said Sasuke. His father was surprised. He looked at the lady behind Sasuke. "We'll talk about this later. Now, bring Amisa to her room before we have dinner" he commanded to his maid. Amisa was brought to her room by a maid. "Sasuke, see me now" said Monobe. Sasuke nodded and followed his father.

Monobe was asking about the ambush. "I don't know the men. I thought they're just burglars..." said Sasuke. Monobe listened to him closely. "…but they did not take any of our belonging, instead one of them tried to kidnap Amisa" explained Sasuke. "If you were right, this is planned by someone. Anyway, I'm glad that all of you are fine" said Monobe. "I'll have people look into it. For now, we let it slip" he continued. Sasuke nodded.

Later that night, they have a big family dinner. "So, you're Amisa?" asked Nami, as she eyed the lady from head to toe in front of her. Takizawa somehow did not care much, he kept silent. Amisa nodded towards Nami. "Sasuke nii-san does have fine eyes. You sure have such fair skin, I'm jealous…" said Nami.

"What is it Amisa? You have to eat more…" said Monobe suddenly when he saw that Amisa hesitated. Amisa looked at him. She secretly thought that Monobe is a scary man. "I… I don't feel really hungry" she muttered. "Maybe she's on diet" said Nami, chuckling. "I bet not. You have to eat more for your baby, Amisa" said Monobe casually. Nami's eyes widened. Takizawa stared at Sasuke that was seating in front of him. The Uchiha did not flinch.

"Huh… I wonder why Sasuke suddenly had to get married. Now I know…" said Takizawa sarcastically. Sasuke glared at him. Amisa felt bad. "Silent! This is nothing to be joking about" said Monobe. He felt bad for Amisa somehow. The lady simply stopped eating.

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**A/N: I've read the new chapter of Naruto manga and it disheartened me. Ah, literally. Since, there is a reader asking me of sasusaku pairing in this story; all I can tell right now is, it will coming soon. Trust me. Anyway, happy reading!**


	15. Unravel

**Disclaimer: Standard**

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Amisa had just finished her bath when a young lady came in. "Ohaiyou, Amisa-sama. I'm Tamane" said a young lady, bowing slightly to Amisa. "From now on, I'll be serving you" she added. Amisa was speechless. "Ah, Monobe-dono instructed me to" Tamane gave Amisa a certain smile.

"Thank you, Tama-chan" said Amisa. Tamane's cheeks blushed in deep red. "Tama-chan? That'll do" she chuckled. "Anyway, Tama-chan… I have something to entrust you then" said Amisa as she walked over to her stuffs. She picked up a paper-wrapped bundle and handed it to Tamane. "What is this?" asked Tamane. "Herbs. For my morning sickness…" said Amisa.

"You're…? You're pregnant?!" asked Tamane. Her eyes widened in curiosity. Amisa somehow nodded in replied. "So, I'll need you to prepare this for me every morning. I'll teach you how, later" said Amisa. "Oh, okay!" Tamane nodded rapidly.

After the breakfast, Amisa was summoned to go to Monobe's reading room. As she entered the room, she was surprised that Sasuke was there too. "Come on in, Amisa" said Monobe as he pointed to the seat next to Sasuke. The lady took her seat while she was observed by the Uchiha.

"I asked you to come here as I have a few things to talk to you" said Monobe. Amisa did not flinch. She did not feel good being in the room. Her eyes kept on wandering, looking at the swords that were decorating the walls. Even Monobe's voice was almost unheard. "…as I said, the wedding is only a symbolic manner" said Monobe.

Amisa returned her gaze back to Monobe. "So, I'll have your name put in the family registry" said Monobe, pulling out a large, old book from a drawer. "But, I'll suggest you to use Sasuke's family name" said Monobe, placing the book on the table and flipping it through. Amisa turned her gaze to Sasuke. She had an urge to ask why Sasuke's had a different family name. Somehow, she zipped it in.

"Amisa, what do you think?" asked Monobe. Amisa's gaze shifted to Monobe again. "I'll think about it…" she muttered. "Fine, just tell me when you're ready" said Monobe.

Amisa and Sasuke left the room. The lady had a lot in her mind but she refused to ask, not at the time being. Sasuke somehow knew that Amisa had a hard time. "Amisa, let's talk a bit" said Sasuke. The lady turned to him slightly. "I'm sorry. I just wanna get some rest" she muttered before she turned her back on Sasuke.

/

"Tama-chan… can I ask you something?" said Amisa, as she watched the young maid arranging her clothes. "Ah, sure. What is it?" said Tamane as she turned to Amisa. "Umm… what does this family do?" asked Amisa. Her question left Tamane tilted her head slightly in wonder. "You know, they have lots of weapons… and I've seen Sasuke-kun fight…" Amisa added. Tamane thought for awhile.

"Well, I'm not sure of how to put this…" the young maid let out a small sigh. "I'm quite new here. But what I know is, they're all good people" she continued, giving Amisa a sincere smile. Somehow it did not convince Amisa.

Later that afternoon, Amisa was walking in the garden, accompanied by Tamane. As they were enjoying the scenery, Sasuke came towards them. "Uchiha-sama…" greeted Tamane, and she left Amisa with Sasuke. Amisa turned away slightly as to avoid eye contact with Sasuke. "Amisa, I need to talk to you" said Sasuke, calmly. "What is it?" asked Amisa, still forcing her gaze somewhere else.

Sasuke sighed. "Look at me" he said, insisting. With her eyebrows deeply furrowed, Amisa stared at his onyx. "I don't like it when you avoid me like this" said Sasuke. The lady's stare did not falter. "Is it because of yesterday?" Sasuke asked, demanding an explanation.

"Tell me the truth. About this family, what is it actually?" asked Amisa. Her eyes were full of questions. "The family or myself?" asked Sasuke. "Both" Amisa bit her lip. Sighing a little, Sasuke answered "We work for the councils. I, myself is an investigator. A spy, to be exact". "I don't just kill people. And yesterday, I needed to…" he said. Amisa was still giving him a doubtful look. "…to save you" he added.

Then, they stayed silent for some moment before Amisa tore her gaze away. "Don't think too much. For now, I just want you to stay safe and healthy for the baby" said Sasuke and he turned away. "I kinda miss your smile…" Sasuke muttered before he left. Amisa was wavered. She wondered if he really had said that.

/

Meanwhile in Konoha, Naruto was seeing Neji in his office. "This is not the work of the assassin, I'm pretty sure of it" said Neji, as he showed a report to Naruto. The blonde read it through. "It was yesterday morning… but why? Why are you so sure it wasn't the work of the assassin?" asked Naruto. Neji clasping his hands together, "You've said it yourself. It happened in the morning". Naruto almost smiled at Neji's witty brain.

"I guess you're right nii-san. Furthermore, these men were killed on the road, outside of the city. The assassin won't kill people openly" said Naruto. Neji thought about his words. "Yeah… he usually strikes at night. We have to be one, to know one. I wonder if we'll ever get the assassin" said Neji, leaving Naruto thinking deeply.

"Anyway, I need you to go to Grass city tomorrow. You'll have a meeting with a chief there. This is the details on the meeting" said Neji as he passed a document to Naruto. Nodding, Naruto picked it up and left.

"Tadaima—" said Naruto as he entered the door. "Okaeri, Naruto-kun…" replied Hinata from the kitchen. Naruto removed his shoes and placed it nicely before he went to meet his wife. She was preparing dinner. "Smells delicious" said Naruto as he took a seat at the dining table. Hinata turned to him slightly, with a smile. "Wait for a bit. It'll be ready soon" she said.

Naruto's stomach growled as he eyed all the other dishes that were ready on the table. "Do we have a feast or something?" asked Naruto as he patted on his growling stomach. "I just… I feel like cooking something nice for you today, Naruto-kun" said the wife. Naruto grinned. He felt blessed that he had Hinata as a wife. _"I wonder if Sasuke also felt this way right now?"_ he thought.

"Come, let's eat" said Hinata as she placed the last dish on the table. It was smoked salmon. "Itadakimasu—"said Naruto as he started to dig in the nice meal. Hinata smiled at the sight of her husband.

"Ah, Hinata… I'll be out of the city starting tomorrow, to Grass city. I have some kind of meeting with a chief there" said Naruto, after he slurped on his bowl of soup. Hinata's smile slowly faded. "O-okay… how long?" asked Hinata. Naruto shrugged. "Two or three days, maybe…" he said.

Hinata's eyes were saddened. "Don't worry. This is an order from Neji nii-san. It's not like I'm having fun out there or something" Naruto said, ending with a chuckle. He tried to persuade Hinata. "Th-that's not the case…" she muttered.

/

The next day, Naruto was on his way to Grass city. He hitched a ride with a group of merchant heading to the same city. "What's that stick for? Are you scared that we'll do anything to you?" asked an old man that was sitting across of Naruto. The other men in the carriage were laughing. Naruto could not help it but chuckle too.

"Nahh, it's a wooden stick I used for my kendo practice. And yeah, it's good for protection too" said Naruto, leaving the old men staring at him. The situation between them was awkwardly silent. Late in the afternoon, Naruto and the merchant arrived at Grass city. Naruto went straight to the nearby inn. He spent the night there.

Next morning, Naruto went to the rendezvous point to meet the chief. The chief was also a spy for the councils. "I believe you are Uzumaki? I'm Iwashi" said a large built man, as he took a seat across of Naruto. They were in a small diner in the middle of the city. Naruto eyed the big guy, he nodded.

"I suppose that Neji-san had told you the reason for this meeting" said Iwashi. "Sort of. I only know that you're going to give me some important news" replied Naruto. Iwashi cleared his throat. "Yes, it's about the councils. I have solid proof that Watanabe was involved in most of the crime around the city. He's either protecting or supporting the criminals" explained Iwashi.

Naruto nodded slightly. He remembered that Neji used to talk about Watanabe. "You mean that, this Watanabe guy had criminals working for him?" Naruto asked for clarity. "Exactly. From the intel I've got so far, Kaguryu's family is closely link to Watanabe" said Iwashi.

"Kaguryu? I've never heard of them before" said Naruto curiously. "They are from the descendants of samurai. The head is named Monobe. This man involves a lot with Watanabe, although I'm still not certain" said Iwashi. "Why is that?" asked Naruto. "This here is a book showing all the transaction done between Watanabe and Monobe" said Iwashi as he handed the book to Naruto.

Naruto flipped through the pages and noticed that large amount of transactions was done between them. "I can see your concern about this matter" said Naruto looking at Iwashi. "I leave this matter to you. I have to go now" said Iwashi and left the diner.

/

After dinner, Naruto went back to the inn. He sat down while reading the book given by Iwashi. But he can't focus as his mind was elsewhere. Later that night, a group of guards was in position around the Hideyoshi compound as if they were waiting for someone. But none of them notice the shadow that was lurking in the dark.

The full moon shone into the dark room as the door was slide open. The couple on the bed immediately got up. All was quiet except for the beating of their heart. The threaten note was real after all. "Stay close to me" whispered the husband as their hands grasp tightly.

As each breath taken was getting harder, suddenly a cold blade was pressed from behind at the neck of the husband. His breathing halted. "I have promised to kill you tonight" said the intruder. The wife was about to turn around when the husband quickly pulled a rope that triggered the bamboo alarm. "So, you've prepare huh?" said the intruder, sarcastically.

Loud commotion was heard outside. The intruder backed away and prepares to escape from the window. The wife turned and saw the face of the intruder. She was terribly shocked. "Naruto…kun…?" muttered the wife. In seconds, the guards barge into the room. "Hide-sama, are you alright?!" asked one of the guard. "I'm fine. Yuki, are you okay?" asked Hideyoshi to his shocked wife. Yuki was still shocked, looking at the window.

"Did you see his face?!" asked Hideyoshi frantically. Yuki slowly turn to her husband, "No, it was dark". Yuki never thought that they escaped death in the hands of someone she adores.

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**A/N: I thought of posting this chapter in the weekend but I can't wait to reveal the assassin's real identity. Anyway, sorry for the late update, since a few days ago, I have problem logging in to my account. But now, it's okay. I only hope it won't repeat in the future. Ah, and anyone of you reader have a tumblr account, do follow me there too! I'll have some of my stories posted there too, and some extra chapters or scraped scenes. Happy reading!**


	16. Revelation

**Disclaimer: Standard.**

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Neji was in his office when an officer came in and gave him a report. "A report on the Grass city ambush last night" said the officer. Neji took the file. "Another attack?" asked Neji. The officer nodded, "But no casualty. The intruder managed to get away" he said. Neji gestured for the officer to leave. He read through the report.

The report was rather disappointing for Neji because it was just another fail attempt to catch the assassin although threaten note was left a day before. "Grass city, huh? So, Naruto was there…" he muttered by himself. Suddenly something struck in his mind. He got up and took some files from the cabinet behind him. He browsed through it all.

_"__What a strange coincidence… Naruto was in all of these places when the murder happened"_ Neji thought quietly. He could not help it but to have images of Naruto ran through his head. "This can't be… I need to get to the bottom of this" muttered Neji as he gone through all of Naruto's records and schedule. He planned on questioning Naruto as soon as he returned.

/

Later that night, Neji had dinner with his children and also his sister, Hinata. He did not spoke much that night, it made Hinata wonder. "Nii-san, is there any problem at work?" asked Hinata. Neji was snapped from his deep thought, he smiled slightly. "Nope, just… a little bit tired. Besides, you don't like me talking about work at home" replied Neji. Hinata nodded.

"Anyway, did Naruto know about it yet?" asked Neji. Slowly, Hinata shook her head. She was blushing. "I… I didn't tell him that day because I don't want him to worry about me when he went out of town" said Hinata. Neji looked at his sister. _"What if Naruto really is the assassin?"_ he thought as he shifted his gaze from Hinata to his children. _"I can't let Hinata's child grow up without a father but… what should I do?"_ Neji's thought was troubled that night.

/

Two days later, Naruto returned home from Grass city. He immediately went to Neji's reading room. The Hyuuga heir was waiting for him somehow. "Nii-san, this is the report from my visit to Grass city. And this is a book given by Iwashi-san" said Naruto as he handed the book to Neji. Naruto bowed slightly as he was ready to leave the room, when Neji called out to him. "Naruto… please stay awhile".

Naruto turned slightly. "Spar with me" requested Neji. Nodding, Naruto agreed. Then they went to the lawn, both with the kendo stick in their hand. "It's been awhile, nii-san. I'm thrilled and worry too… my movement could be a bit stiff" Naruto chuckled lightly. Neji somehow did not say anything.

Neji immediately attacked Naruto. Naruto was shocked and dodged Neji. "Nii-san!" said Naruto, trying to calm himself down from the sudden attack. "Come on, Naruto!" shouted Neji as he lunged forward to Naruto again. Naruto noticed that Neji was aiming lower towards his hand. Naruto parried each of Neji's attack skillfully.

_"__A good swordsman would not let his sword fall from his hands"_ thought Neji as he spars with Naruto. After sparring for quite some time, Neji withdrew. "Let's stop here" said Neji, panting. They bowed to each other. "I feel refresh. It's been a long time since I sweat like this" said Naruto. However, Neji replied with a deep stare, "Did you know that was an attack in Grass city recently?".

Naruto kept silent for awhile. "No, why?" asked Naruto. "I received the report lately that the assassin has blond hair. I almost thought that it was you, since you were there" said Neji jokingly. "That's impossible…" Naruto chuckled. "But each time when there's an attack, you were there too" said Neji. Naruto eyebrows furrowed. "Do you still remember the answer you gave me about what kind of a policeman you would be?" Neji continued.

"The one that stands for justice…" muttered Naruto. "So, do you still hold on to your words?" asked Neji. "What do you mean nii-san?" asked Naruto. "I remember that you said, every person has a choice whether to do evil things or not. But if you do it, how should I judge you?" Neji sounded serious. Naruto snorted. "Tell me the truth. Who are you?" asked Neji.

"I'm the assassin" said Naruto. Neji's eyes widened. "Is that what you wanted me to say, nii-san?" continued Naruto. They kept silent. Naruto turned away, "I think I should leave" he said. "Did you know that Hinata is pregnant?" asked Neji. Naruto's step died and he turned slightly to Neji. "Wh-what?" he said. "You need to tell me the truth, Naruto. If you really are the assassin, I could not help you should we meet again in a different circumstance" said Neji.

Naruto smiled. "Nii-san, you have excellent investigative skill" said Naruto. "There's something I want to show you" he continued as he walked away. Neji followed Naruto. As they arrived at Naruto's room, "Lock the door. I don't want anyone else to see this, especially Hinata" said Naruto. Neji locked the door behind him. Then Naruto took out one of his kendo sticks and gave it to Neji. "This is my sword" said Naruto.

Neji gave Naruto a questioning look. "You don't mean…" Neji was about to ask Naruto when he noticed a thin groove near the _tsuba_ – the handle. He twisted the _tsuba_ and revealed the sword. He was surprised and looked at Naruto. "This is brilliant…" he muttered while observing the sword.

"Now that you know, what are you gonna do?" asked Naruto. Neji sheathed the sword and gave it to Naruto. "You tell me, Naruto" said Neji. "I'm supposed to kill you right now. But for Hinata, I could not" said Naruto. Neji turned away. "So, this is your justice?" Neji left the room.

/

Meanwhile in Iwa city, Sasuke was with Amisa in their room. The symbolic wedding ceremony has just ended earlier that day. "Thank you, for choosing my family name" said Sasuke. Amisa was removing her attire. "It's to be expected" she simply replied. "Anyway, I'm glad that you're with me now. I can protect you" said the Uchiha. Amisa turned to him questioning. "Protect me from what? Are we going to be attacked anytime?" she asked.

Sasuke regretted he said that earlier. "No, but to-san told me that the ambush was planned by someone" he said. Amisa's eyebrows furrowed deeply. "Don't think too much about it…" muttered Sasuke. But it was not enough to put Amisa's heart in peace. "Maybe you're right… thinking about it won't make any good. Besides, it's not like I can do anything by myself now" said Amisa. Somehow it made Sasuke felt bad bringing up the topic.

"Anyway, Sasuke-kun… I want to ask you about one thing. Why do you have a different family name?" asked Amisa suddenly. Sasuke turned away. He felt like not answering the question but he knew that Amisa will ask about it someday. "I was taken in by to-san… and he treated me like his own son" said Sasuke after awhile. Then the night went on with them talking about their past.

/

The next morning, the Kaguryu family was having breakfast together. Monobe was delighted. "Now that we have a new family member here, the family has grown. And another one that is on the way…" stated Monobe. "How many months is it now, Amisa?" asked Monobe as he gazed at the lady. "Three months…" she answered. "Then I'm gonna be a grandfather in just six more months" said Monobe happily.

Amisa smiled and realized that Nami was staring at her. She smiled at Nami only to be ignored by the latter. It made Amisa felt uneasy. After the breakfast, Amisa took a walk with Tamane by the pond. "You seems quiet, Amisa-sama. Is there anything wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" asked Tamane. Sighing, Amisa turned to the maid. "I feel that Nami-chan doesn't like me. Why is that?" said Amisa.

Tamane gave her a curious look. "Really? I didn't realize it…" said Tamane. "You didn't realize it? Maybe it was just my imagination" Amisa forced a smile. Later that day, Amisa was unexpectedly come face to face with Nami at the hallway. She smiled and greeted Nami, "Nami-chan…". Nami somehow pretended that she did not hear it, she walked pass Amisa.

Amisa frowned, she turned to Tamane. The maid shrugged. "I want to go back to my room…" said Amisa. Tamane nodded as she followed Amisa. "I guess you're right, Amisa-sama…" said Tamane as soon as they were in Amisa's room. "What is it?" asked Amisa. "About Nami-sama… the way she ignored you just now… it shows!" stated Tamane excitedly. Amisa sighed. "It's more than that… she did that to me from the first day I came here… I don't think that I ever did anything wrong to her" muttered Amisa.

"Maybe you've said something that she didn't like?" said Tamane, tried to guess it out. Amisa shook her head slightly. "I don't think so… I can't remember if I actually have talked to her…" she muttered. "Then, maybe she's just jealous…" replied Tamane. Amisa looked at her. She thought maybe it was true. Nami was just jealous. Since Monobe was now focusing so much onto her just because she was pregnant. But she was not so sure.

/

Meanwhile, Monobe was in his reading room when Takizawa entered. "It's rare to see you coming here" said Monobe. Takizawa took a seat in front of him. "Because you only summon Sasuke to come here" said Takizawa. Monobe sighed. "What do you want to talk about exactly?" he asked. Takizawa's hands grasped tighten. "It's about Sasuke. Why do you favor him so much?!" Takizawa spat. Monobe gave him a questioning look.

"You have spoilt him so much! He's not even your real son! I'm your real son!" stated Takizawa angrily. Monobe inhaled deeply. "You're not a kid anymore, Takizawa. I thought we have been through this question many times and I thought you are done with it" said Monobe, calmly. Takizawa gritted his teeth. "I'm never done with it! So what now? Are you going to even let him lead the dojo?!" asked Takizawa. Monobe did not answer.

"To-san! What is my mistake that make you favor him so much?!" Takizawa raised his voice. "_This_… Sasuke did not have _this_… aggression" said Monobe, pointing at his son. Takizawa was startled. He stormed out of the room.

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**A/N: A short chapter. In this chapter, I tried to show you where exactly Naruto hide his sword. Taadaa- it is one of his _shinai_ (kendo stick). Anyway, happy reading!**


	17. Return

**Disclaimer: Standard**

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"Sasuke!" yelled Takizawa as he fastened his pace to catch up with the Uchiha. Slowly, Sasuke turned to the yelling guy. "What is your real intention?!" Takizawa spat, as he came face to face with Sasuke. "What are you saying?" asked Sasuke. Amisa was there too, frowning at the situation.

"What are you trying to do, huh?! Why do you keep getting on my nerves?!" yelled Takizawa as he shoved Sasuke a bit. Sasuke was taken aback. "Taki nii-san… what's wrong?" asked Amisa. Takizawa turned to the lady. "You don't have the right to talk here!" he said. "Taki, don't involve Amisa in this" said Sasuke. "Huh… I don't know why to-san keeps on letting you do as you wish?" said Takizawa as he glared at Sasuke.

"Amisa… you go on first" said Sasuke. Amisa nodded slightly. She gave a concerned look towards Sasuke before she left. "What do you want?" asked Sasuke. Takizawa grabbed on Sasuke's collar, he stared angrily at the Uchiha. "Fight me! We're fighting for real!" he said with gritted teeth. Sasuke knew that Takizawa was mad at something and fighting Takizawa will only provoke him.

"No, I won't fight you" replied Sasuke as he released himself from the grasped. "Are you looking down on me, Sasuke?!" shouted Takizawa. Sasuke simply turned away and leave the place. "Sasuke!" Takizawa called out but Sasuke just ignored him.

Sasuke went to his room. Amisa was on the bed waiting for him. "Sasuke-kun, are you alright? What is it just now?" she asked, nervously. Sasuke forced a slight smile to ease the tense he felt. "It's nothing. He was always like that. So don't worry" he answered. "Are you sure? Taki nii-san sounded serious just now…" replied Amisa wearing a concern look on her face. Somehow Sasuke kept silent.

/

They were having breakfast the next morning, except for Takizawa. "Where's Takizawa?" asked Monobe to one of the maid. "Takizawa-sama was not in the room this morning" said the maid. Monobe nodded. He knew that Takizawa was going to leave home last night after their argument. His son was always like that. "Let's continue eating. He'll be back once he cool down" he said as to not let others worried.

"Anyway, there's an autumn festival at the town. Anyone joining me?" asked Monobe. Nami happily raised her hand. Monobe nodded at his daughter and then shifted his gaze to Sasuke. The Uchiha peered at his wife. Amisa nodded in agreement. "Are you sure? It's cold outside" said Sasuke. "I think I can manage… its fine" said Amisa. "You can bring Tamane along…" said Monobe. Amisa smiled in agreement.

Tamane was delightful when she heard about the festival and she could not wait for it. Later that evening, they went to the festival at the town. It was crowded with people. "I'm going to see the tournament. Gonna bet…" said Monobe. Nami followed him. "So, where are we going, Amisa-sama?" asked Tamane. Amisa shrugged. She wanted to go to the festival just because she did not want to stick at home.

"Then, we go…. There!" stated Tamane cheerily as she pointed at the food stall. They went to the stall. Tamane was excitedly looking at all those fried squids and takoyaki. "You shouldn't eat that too much, you'll get fat" commented Amisa as Tamane stuffed herself. "It's my favorite…" she said with her mouth full. Amisa smiled at her. "You shouldn't eat this fried food as well" muttered Sasuke, next to Amisa. The lady nodded.

Then they went along the place. Stalls were set along the road, selling variety of stuffs. Mostly were foods, drinks, souvenirs and games too. "Look, palm reading…" said Tamane. Amisa thought for awhile. "We should try it!" Tamane persuaded. "No, it's just a waste of money…" said Sasuke. "We can try… just for fun" replied Amisa as she followed Tamane. Sasuke sighed at the ladies but he had no choice but to follow them.

"I wanna get my fortune told" said Tamane as she took a seat. The old lady took her hand and started to read her palm. Tamane put a serious face. "Hmm… you'll live a long life but a few obstacles are upon you. People will try to deceive you" said the old lady. Tamane swallowed hard. "A-Amisa-sama… you wanna try it too?" she asked. Amisa nodded. But the old lady's face changes when she observed Amisa.

"I can see dark clouds are coming…" she said. Tamane was looking up to the night sky. "You haven't read my palm…" muttered Amisa. "I don't have to… I can see it upon you. You've had a hard life and a storm is yet to come… be careful my dear" said the old lady. Amisa was jolted from her seat. "Let's go…" she muttered as she went away, followed by Tamane. Sasuke was startled. "You don't have to pay me. It's just sad for her…" added the old lady. Sasuke stared at the lady, almost angry.

"Amisa-sama… are you okay? Don't worry, I think the old lady is just a fraud" said Tamane. "I hope so…" muttered Amisa. Sasuke somehow frowned at her. "I've told you not to go there. Luckily she didn't want any money" he said. Amisa nodded weakly. "I'm… I'm thirsty" she said. Sasuke looked around and saw a stall selling drinks not far from them. "Wait here, I won't be long" he said as he went to the stall.

"Amisa-sama, look… apple candy!" said Tamane as she pointed at the stall behind them. Amisa nodded at the lady as they went over. "Give me one of this…" said Amisa. Tamane was blushing. "Thank you, Amisa-sama!" she said happily. Amisa was taking out her purse, when a guy knocked onto her and she dropped her purse. "Ah—" Amisa turned and was about to pick it up when the guy snatched the purse and ran away. Amisa was frozen at her place seeing what had happened. "What?! Thief! Thief!" yelled Tamane.

Everyone around them was alerted and looked around. But the snatch thief was fast enough to run away among the crowd. He was gone. Amisa was breathing nervously with her eyes widened in shocked. Hearing the commotion, Sasuke went back only to see Amisa and Tamane was not there. He then saw the ladies among the crowd.

"What happened?" asked Sasuke towards the startled lady. "Are you hurt?!" he said, holding Amisa's hand. Her hands turned cold. Slowly, her eyes shifted to her husband. "A thief! He just ran away with Amisa-sama's purse!" said Tamane. Sasuke turned to Amisa again. "I've told you to wait for me!" Sasuke raised his voice. Amisa was disheartened, her eyebrows narrowed.

Realizing that Amisa was on the verge of crying, Sasuke pulled her to him. "Sorry…" he muttered. They went home ahead of Monobe and Nami. "I didn't mean to yell at you just now. I was just… worried" said Sasuke as they reached their room. Amisa nodded weakly. "I know. But, Sasuke-kun… what if the old lady was right? Bad thing had just happened to me…" she said anxiously. "Nonsense…" said Sasuke as he wrapped the lady in his arms.

/

Meanwhile, in another city, a middle aged man named Jiraiya was enjoying his time being around his women. They were lounging with him on his extra sized bed while pampering him in many ways. "Jiraiya-sama… have this grape…" said a lady next to him. Jiraiya happily opened his mouth and not only eating the grape, he purposely licking the lady's fingers. "Ahh— you're so naughty, Jiraiya-sama…" said the lady. Jiraiya laughed happily.

Then suddenly it was dark, the lights were turned off. "Ahh—" the women yelped in the dark. Jiraiya was shocked too. He got up off the bed. "Wait here ladies…" he said, tried to walk towards the door in the darkness. "Guards!" he called out as he opened the door. Moments later, a guard came. "Sir, we are trying to figure it out…" said the guard. "Okay… make it quick…" replied Jiraiya.

But then something was bothering him. "You sound funny… who are you?" asked Jiraiya as he backed away a little. He realized that the guard's voice was muffled. "Answer me!" shouted Jiraiya. The guard did not reply and he kept on walking towards Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-sama… what happened?" asked the women, frightening. Then a shiny reflection was seen in the dark. The metal blade reflected the little light that shone into the room.

Jiraiya was breathing hard. "You're… you're the assassin?!" he stated, shakily in his voice. Without wasting anytime, the assassin pressed his blade onto Jiraiya's neck. "Y-you bastard!" yelled Jiraiya as he now saw the assassin's mask. The assassin quickly slashed his throat before he could react.

Then the assassin went out through the window, letting the man bled to death. The women cuddled to each other in fear as all they could hear was gagging and grunting sounds before a loud thud on the floor. They could not see much of what had happened by the door.

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**A/N: A quick chapter. Happy reading!**


	18. The Breaking Point

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden and the world.**

* * *

Sasuke came to his father's reading room and was surprised that Takizawa was there too. Takizawa had returned after a few days of leaving home. "Sasuke, have a seat…" said Monobe as Sasuke entered the reading room. "I have a few things to discuss with you both" said Monobe. Sasuke took his seat beside Takizawa while being eyed by the said guy.

Clearing his throat, Monobe started talking. "I have some of my men look into the matter about the ambush last time. And we managed to capture one of the man that managed to escape" stated Monobe. Both Takizawa and Sasuke listened closely to their father's words. "However, we did not get anything from him. The guy did not spill the bean despite all the things we've done. But he's no longer a nuisance, he's probably be dead by now" said Monobe. They did not respond anyhow except for a slight nod.

"So, we never knew the person behind all that?" asked Sasuke. Monobe nodded. "Just be careful. This only mean one thing, an enemy is still out there and will definitely strike back" said Monobe. Takizawa peered secretly on Sasuke. "But why would the enemy attack Sasuke? This guy might bring a problem to our family one day" stated Takizawa in annoyance. Sasuke did not flinch. "Takizawa, this is not the time to pick a fight. Besides, we should support each other right now" said Monobe. They went silent after.

"Anyway, the assassin has strike again. Last night, a rich business man was killed despite his mansion was well guarded. He's a pimp" said Monobe. "We'll double the guards in our area as a precaution…" he added. Sasuke was curious at his father's last statement. "Why do we have to bother anyway?" asked Sasuke. Monobe sighed. "Because we work for the councils. The assassin seems to target specific group of victim, so we can't take it easy" explained Monobe.

"But we didn't do anything against his notion… or so, to be a victim is less likely" said Takizawa. Monobe snorted. "Whatever we do out there, it's for the councils' sake. When the councils done anything bad behind us, we'll definitely be involved! Understand me?" said Monobe, almost angrily. The two sons nodded.

/

Weeks had passed and the assassin was nowhere to be heard. However, Kaguryu's mansion was more cautious than ever. "I met a lot of guards on my way here…" commented the old doctor, as she entered Amisa's room. She was greeted by Sasuke and Tamane. "The master asked to double the guards as a precaution…" said Tamane and she earned a glare from Sasuke. She then kept silent. The doctor somehow went over to Amisa that was lying on the bed.

"How are you feeling today?" asked the doctor as she sat next to the bed. "Fine… I don't vomit in the morning now, but I'm still taking the herbs" said Amisa. The doctor nodded. "I see. You're four months now, isn't it?" said the doctor as she checked on Amisa's pulse. "Anyway, the weather is getting colder. Make sure you eat enough and keep warm always" said the doctor, now checking on Amisa's tummy. "Any way, the baby is healthy and do take more rests" she continued.

When the doctor was done, she took a leave. "Thank you" said Sasuke to the doctor. Tamane then lead the doctor out. Sasuke sat beside Amisa and hold her hands. "In five more months, you're going to be a father" said Amisa, smiling as she placed Sasuke's hand over her tummy. Sasuke stiffened and looked at Amisa. "I don't know if I will be a good father" he said. "Don't worry; I know you can do it. When the time comes, your father instinct will come naturally" said Amisa.

The thought of becoming soon-to-be-father lingered in Sasuke's mind while he felt Amisa's tummy. His eyes worryingly looked at the pronounced bump on Amisa's stomach.

/

As time went on, Amisa was now five months along. She went to the nearby shrine for the _anzan_ ritual with Tamane and two guards tagging along. When the ritual finished, they head home. "Don't lose the charm, keep it with you all the time Amisa-sama…" said Tamane. Amisa smiled and nodded. "Ah, I haven't seen this before… when did you get this?" asked Tamane, wide eyes, pointing at Amisa's left wrist. The said lady was blushing. "Sasuke-kun gave it to me last night, before he left for his mission" said Amisa.

"It's beautiful, really! You're so lucky, Amisa-sama…" stated Tamane. "Thank you, Tama-chan…" replied Amisa as she looked at the blue-green jade bangle on her wrist. She could not stop smiling while caressing her belly.

As they arrived home, Monobe was waiting for them. "Everything went well?" he asked. Amisa nodded. "Good then. Anyway, sorry that I forgot about the today's ritual, causing Sasuke not going along with you" said Monobe. "It's fine… as long as everything went well" replied Amisa. Somehow Nami stared at Amisa, making the latter felt uneasy. Amisa tried to smile but as usual, Nami responded coldly.

/

Later that evening, Amisa and Tamane were walking around the garden. "Let's go and sit over there… don't walk around too much, Amisa-sama…" pleaded Tamane as she was concerned. "It's fine, Tama-chan. I need this little exercise. Anyway, it's all I can do now" said Amisa. The maid sighed in defeat. "But… be careful then" muttered Tamane as she tagged closely behind Amisa. Chuckling, Amisa walked ahead. She remembered Tamane mentioning about getting worried of her, since her belly grew bigger.

Suddenly, Amisa spotted Nami and her servant resting by the pond. "Tama-chan… we go over there" said Amisa. Tamane was not too fond of the idea, she protested. "Amisa-sama, don't! You know that she dislikes you!" said Tamane, frowning deeply. Amisa knew that but she still went over to Nami's place. Tamane had no choice, but to follow Amisa.

Nami was startled when she saw Amisa was coming her way. "Let's go…" she muttered to her servant. They were leaving and simply walked pass Amisa. "Nami-chan… w-wait…" said Amisa. Nami ignored the lady. Amisa was taken aback. "Why are you ignoring me?" she asked. Nami's eyes widened and she stopped. Amisa was waiting anxiously for Nami's response. Slowly, Nami turned to Amisa, with a skeptical smile. "Did I?" she asked.

Amisa felt the pressure built up in between them. Her breathing fastened. "I… I can feel it. You're avoiding me, Nami-chan…" murmured Amisa. "What did I do wrong to you? Tell me…" she continued. "Amisa-sama…" stated Tamane as she was standing behind Amisa. But Amisa did not flinch. Nami somehow gave a doubtful look. "I don't think so. Why do you think that I'm avoiding you?" said Nami as she was turning away again.

"W-wait, Nami-chan!" said Amisa as she tugged on Nami's sleeve. Nami turned furiously, she pulled away from Amisa. "Don't you dare to touch me! Who do you think you are?!" she spat. Amisa's eyes widened in shocked. "S-sorry…" she muttered. "If you're sorry, don't bother me anymore!" yelled Nami. "But why? Why do you hate me so much?" asked Amisa, forcing her way a bit. Tamane was holding onto Amisa's sleeve as to stop her.

Nami gritted her teeth. "Because you're a whore! That's why! I hated you since the day you came here, get it?!" yelled Nami. The words coming out of Nami's lips struck like a thunder. Amisa was deeply saddened. "I'm not a whore…" she muttered. "You're not even worthy of Sasuke nii-san's love! And that child, I doubt that it is his. You're just an attention seeker!" Nami continued to lash on Amisa. "Let's go!" said Nami as she walked away from the place with her servant.

Amisa was shocked terribly. "Amisa-sama… just ignore her, okay?" said Tamane. "I… I want to go back, Tama-chan…" muttered Amisa in between her hard breathing. They went back to Amisa's room. "I can't believe that Nami-sama actually said that… that's just too harsh…" muttered Tamane as she tucked Amisa on her bed. Amisa was feeling dishearten.

"You should tell Uchiha-sama about this…" said Tamane. "No… I don't want him to argue with his sister because of me" replied Amisa. "I just need some rest, Tama-chan…" she muttered as she closed her eyes.

/

After the argument with Nami, Amisa felt insecure. It was hard for her though, since Nami was always sitting across of her at the dining table. Amisa realized that Nami did not care too much of what had happened recently. Deep inside, Amisa knew that Nami had disliked her so much.

"Amisa, what's wrong?" asked Monobe. Amisa looked troubled and she did not eat her food. "I'm sorry, to-san… I just don't feel so good" muttered Amisa. "Should I call the doctor for you?" asked Monobe. He sounded worry. Amisa shook her head slightly while forcing a smile.

Monobe sighed. "Yesterday I received a delivery from Renzai" he said. Amisa's face was brightened. "What is it?" she asked, almost excitedly. "He sent some clothing for you and this letter. I'll have the maid send the clothes to your room later" explained Monobe. Amisa smiled as she took the letter. She read it and tears slowly ran through her cheek. "Are you okay?" asked Monobe. Amisa wiped her tears away. "I was just… so happy…" said Amisa, smiling.

_"__Amisa-chan… how are you? We're missing you constantly. I hope you're doing fine. How months along are you now? I promise to go and visit you once you deliver. Just stay happy and healthy always" From, Zumioshi Renzai._

/

Days passed and the situation between Amisa and Nami was not getting any better. "Amisa-sama, how are you feeling today?" asked Tamane as Amisa woke up one morning. Amisa slowly sat on the bed. "Fine… thank you, Tama-chan" said Amisa. "I'll get your herbs right away" said Tamane as she left the room.

Tamane went to the kitchen and prepared the herbs. Then she brought the herbs in a small ceramic mug. "Tamane…" someone called out. Tamane turned to the voice. It was Nami. "What is it, Nami-sama?" asked Tamane. Nami somehow smiled at her. "How's Amisa?" she asked. Tamane frowned. "She's fine. I need to get going…" said Tamane. As she was about to leave, Nami stopped her.

"Let me bring it to Amisa. Besides, I wanna apologize to her about my rudeness the other day" said Nami. The maid doubted it but she handed the mug after all. "Okay…" said Tamane. "I want to talk to her in private…" said Nami as to tell Tamane not to follow her.

Meanwhile, Amisa was on her bed, waiting for Tamane. Suddenly, the door opened. "Nami-chan?" muttered Amisa. Nami entered with the mug in her hand. "I brought the herb for you" said Nami. "Thank you…" said Amisa. Nami sat beside Amisa and hand over the mug.

Amisa drank the herbs. Nami watched at Amisa finish drinking the herbs. "I'm sorry about what I said the other day" said Nami. "It's okay. I'm sorry too for pushing you too far" said Amisa. Nami somehow smiled. "I really hope you could forget the past. So that we can be friend after this" said Nami. Amisa nodded happily. Moments later Nami left the room.

After Nami left the room, Amisa was about to get a bath when Tamane came in. "What did Nami-sama and you talk about just now?" asked Tamane. "Secret…" said Amisa, smilling. Tamane just looked at the smiling lady. "Either way, it's time for your bath" said Tamane as she helped Amisa get up from the bed. Amisa got into the bathtub after Tamane helped her undress. Amisa enjoyed her warm bath until she felt a slight pain in her stomach. She changed her position and caressed her belly lightly. Smiling, she thought the baby was just being active.

/

Lunch was less tense than before as Nami was becoming friendlier towards Amisa. "Here… let me help nee-san" said Nami as she scooped the gravy for Amisa. Monobe was a bit surprise the way Nami acted, so does Tamane. "Anything good happened between you two lately?" asked Monobe curiously. "Nothing, to-san… just a little sister helping her big sister, that's all" said Nami. "Thank you, Nami-chan" said Amisa.

Suddenly, the pain came again. Amisa stopped eating. She held her lower stomach and slowly caressing it to ease the cramp. "What's wrong?" asked Monobe. Amisa shook her head. "Nothing, I think I'll get going. I'm not feeling well" said Amisa as she got up and left with Tamane. "I want to get some rest" muttered Amisa as she held in the pain.

Amisa lie on the bed as soon as she got to her room. "Are you alright, Amisa-sama?" asked Tamane, worryingly. "I just need to relax a bit…" said Amisa. The pain seems receded. Amisa fell asleep but not for long. She was awakened by a sudden sharp pain in her lower stomach. Amisa sat slightly as the pain continues. She cried for Tamane as she noticed she was bleeding. "Tama-chan…" said Amisa in a shaky voice.

"W-wait here…" said Tamane, panickly, went out the room. Amisa waited painfully on the bed as the contractions came quickly. She tried not to push when it came. Moments later, Tamane came in followed by the old lady doctor. The doctor frantically prepared herself when she saw that Amisa was bleeding.

The commotion made Monobe concerned. He waited outside the room nervously. Nami and Takizawa were there too. Takizawa eyed her worried sister. "What had happened?" asked Monobe anxiously. But no one could answer him. He was worried that bad thing could happen since Amisa was not supposed to give birth that early.

"Tell Sasuke to come back at once!" ordered Monobe to one of his man. "Yes sir!" said the man as he left the compound. The others just waited nervously.

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**A/N: Quite a long chapter. What will happen next? Happy reading!**


	19. Ame

**Disclaimer: Standard**

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It was raining heavily. Monobe looked up to the gloomy sky. He only hoped for the best. They have been outside the room for almost an hour. The sound of the heavy rain muffled the painful scream from inside the room.

"Amisa-sama… be strong…" said Tamane, in a shaky voice. She stayed beside Amisa and held her hand. Amisa was breathing heavily, sucking in the pain. Her contraction was too strong all of a sudden she even forgot how to push. The old doctor did not say any other words except for some encouragement. She knew things would not turn out good.

"Ahh… it hurts…" pleaded Amisa once in awhile. It made Tamane felt devastated since she could not do anything to help her master. "Did she fell before?" asked the old doctor as she was wiping off the blood that was coming out profusely. "No, I was with her most of the time…" replied Tamane. The doctor peered at the painful lady. She was pale of losing too much blood.

"I need you to push the baby out!" said the doctor to Amisa as she handed the blood soaked towel to Tamane. "What? But it's too soon…" said Amisa, worried. "You've lost too much blood. It's dangerous for you… and the baby" explained the doctor. Amisa was shocked.

"You, give me more clean towels!" the doctor ordered. Tamane nodded as she frantically searched for clean towels in the shelf. Amisa felt dizzy and she tried so hard not to black out. "Push, my dear!" instructed the doctor. Amisa grasped tightly onto the bed sheet as she gathered all the strength she had left to push.

Amisa grunted in pain. _"Sasuke-kun…"_ she thought. She gave one more push and gave birth to her small baby. The old doctor held the baby in her hands. "How's the baby?" asked Amisa, panting. The doctor did not reply, she wrapped the baby in a towel. "Bring my baby here…" muttered Amisa. "I need to at least see my baby" she continued. The doctor looked at Amisa with a concerned face.

"Please, I want to see him…" plead Amisa. "Tamane, tend to Amisa-sama" said the doctor and then went away. "No! Bring him here!" cried Amisa. Tamane looked distraught at the lady. "Don't, Amisa-sama…" said Tamane with tears started to flow down her cheeks. Amisa lie on the bed silently, still breathing hard. "Tama-chan, please tell Sasuke-kun that… I'm sorry" said Amisa, weakly. She then closed her eyes, with tears flowing.

"Amisa-sama!" Tamane called out. "She's fainted!" stated Tamane. The doctor came to Amisa and checked on her pulse. Then she turned to Tamane with a very concerned look. "She's dead…" said the doctor. "Wh-what?" muttered Tamane. She then looked at the pale Amisa and burst into tears. She wailed and ran out of the room.

The rest that waited outside was startled when Tamane came out. "What happened?!" asked Monobe nervously. The servant kept on wailing as her knees slumped on the floor. "Tamane! Answer me!" said Monobe, shaking Tamane's shoulders. "Amisa-sama… she's dead…" she said in between her hard sob. Monobe was terribly shocked. He peered into the room slightly. He could saw Amisa was there on the bed, pale and lying weakly. "That can't be true…" muttered Monobe.

Takizawa and Nami were shocked too at what they heard. Nami clasped her hand over her mouth as she burst into tears, she ran to her room. "This… this can't be real…" muttered Nami as she reached her room. She was breathing hard as tears ran down her cheeks. Suddenly the door was opened. Nami turned and saw Takizawa coming in.

"You did it, didn't you?" said Takizawa. Nami stood silent at what Takizawa said. "I saw you put something in her drink" stated Takizawa. Nami gasped. "It was an accident! I don't mean it to be this way! I just want her to suffer like I did!" said Nami. "But she's dead. I hate Sasuke in many ways but I never thought of going this far. You, on the other hand, are more cruel, Nami" said Takizawa, eyeing his sister. "Don't tell anyone, especially to-san!" pleaded Nami. "I won't" said Takizawa, with a slight grin.

/

Thunder roaring in the sky. It was going to rain. Sasuke entered a nearby diner for shelter. "It's rare to have rain here. Been weeks without a single drop of heaven" said an old man by the window. Sasuke sat at the corner. As he was waiting to be served, a man came in and approached him. "You've been summoned back to Kaguryu's mansion. Please leave this instant" said the man and left. Sasuke was curious. _"Why did to-san asked me to come back now? I thought this mission is important…" _he thought. He somehow obeyed the order.

It took Sasuke more than a day to return home. He arrived late in the evening the next day. "Sasuke-sama…" greeted the guards as he entered the Kaguryu's compound. He noticed that the air was gloomy and the guards were not wearing their normal attire, instead a darker tone.

"Sasuke…" said Monobe as his son entered the main house. He gave Sasuke a very troubled look. Sasuke could sense something was wrong, he looked around. Takizawa and Nami were there too. "Where's Amisa?" he asked. He tried to put a positive thought in his mind while his heart started to beat faster. Monobe put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, "There's something I need to show you" he said.

Monobe lead Sasuke to an altar. "Who died?" asked Sasuke, tried to deny all the thoughts he had. Monobe did not say anything. Sasuke, with lead feet, walked towards the altar. _"It can't be…"_ he thought as his eyes widened. Unfortunately, it was what he had expected. Amisa was smiling to him in the framed picture.

Sasuke just stood there silently. "She had a miscarriage…" said Monobe. "The doctor tried her best to save both the mother and the baby" he continued. "I'm sorry, Sasuke" said Monobe. "I want to be alone" muttered Sasuke. Monobe nodded slightly before he left. Sasuke's mind went blanked. He was not sure of what to feel although his heart was beating crazily. He then saw the bangle next to the picture. He took it.

_/ Flashback…_

_"__You're going out?" asked Amisa. Sasuke turned slightly at the lady, he nodded. "For how long?" she then asked. "A week or so…" replied Sasuke. Amisa sat next to him. "I thought to-san will never send you out for a long mission…" muttered Amisa._

_As Sasuke finished packing his things, he turned to the lady. "It was supposed to be Takizawa, but he was just returned from a mission. So I need to go in his place" explained Sasuke. Amisa pouted a little. Sasuke smiled slightly at his wife. Suddenly he remembered something._

_"__I have something for you…" said Sasuke as he took out a bangle. "Give me your hand" he said. Amisa held out her left hand and Sasuke put the bangle on. Amisa blushed. "It's pretty…" she said, looking at the blue-green bangle. "I thought it would look good on you…" said Sasuke. "Thank you…" replied Amisa as she admired the bangle._

_/ End of flashback_

A hand touched Sasuke's shoulder that snapped him from his thought. It was his father. "You've been here for so long. Come, you need some rest…" said Monobe. Heavy-heartedly, Sasuke left the place.

Later that night, he was sitting silently in the room. Sasuke looked around and saw that Amisa's stuff was still there, untouched. He walked over to the shelf. Sasuke opened it and saw Amisa's clothes were folded nicely inside. Then Sasuke's eyes caught on the flowery yukata. He took it out.

_/ Flashback…_

_"__I don't think the clothe still fit…" said Amisa as she frowned at the yukata. Tamane was helping Amisa with her dress. "It's still fit. I'm sure of it, Amisa-sama…" said the maid as she helped Amisa wore her inner. She wrapped the white inner around Amisa's belly. Sasuke unconsciously smiled at the two ladies._

_"__Ah…" Amisa gasped a little. "Sorry! Did I pull it too tight?" asked Tamane as she loosened it a little. Amisa nodded. "I've told you that I'm getting fatter… look at my arms" pouted Amisa. Tamane shook her head. She continued her works. "Look, you're so pretty, Amisa-sama…" said Tamane happily. Amisa walked over to the mirror. She smiled._

_"__Tamane is right, you're pretty" said Sasuke as he went over to his wife. He wrapped his arms around the lady making her blushed. "Even with this bump?" asked Amisa, holding her belly. "Hn, even with the bump…" he replied._

_/ End of flashback…_

Sasuke lie on the bed, with Amisa's clothing in his hand. It was wet because of his tears. Slowly he drifted to sleep as he was tired the whole day. _"Kami-sama… why did you take love away from me? Will I ever love again…?"._

The next day, Zumioshi Renzai came from Konoha. Sasuke could hear people wept from afar. As Sasuke entered the room, he saw Renzai and a few of his maids were there, crying their hearts out. "Uchiha-sama…" said Renzai as he wiped his tears. "I'm so sorry for you… I should have come earlier… I… I regret it…" then Renzai wept again, onto the floor. Sasuke was silent. He spent another solemn day in front of the altar, recalling all the little memories he had with Amisa.

/

Meanwhile, in Konoha city… Naruto looked out from the window. "It's gonna be another cold night… it's still raining" said Naruto. Hinata was on the bed, with a book on her hand, looking at her husband. "I wonder what makes the sky wept so terribly?" muttered Naruto as he closed the window. Then he walked over to the bed. He lies next to Hinata.

"You don't like the rain?" asked the lady. Naruto was caressing Hinata's baby bump with love. "Hm… not so much" he replied. "People always thought that rain are a sign of bad thing, that's why they hate it. But for me, it's a start of a new beginning…" said Hinata with her usual soft voice. Naruto smiled at his wife as he wrapped his arm around Hinata's belly protectively.

"I'm so happy now, Hinata…" muttered Naruto. Hinata lie on her side, with her belly towards Naruto. "Me too… Naruto-kun…" she said. Naruto caressed her cheek. _"I wonder how Sasuke's doing right now?"_ he silently thought.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading! This story will take a break until a week or so for plot revising. Cheers!**


	20. Characters' Info

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO / NARUTO SHIPPUDEN and the WORLD. Except for some OCs.**

* * *

This is not a usual chapter, but an introduction chapter for all the characters in Skyline. Since I have a lot of OCs in this story, I decided to introduce them all based on their appearance in the chapters. This is pretty much based on their current situation and hopefully I don't give out any spoiler. Fingers crossed!

**xoxoxox**

**Uchiha Itachi**

· First appearance in ch.1, age 13

· Affiliate: a small village in the outskirt of Konoha

· Took care of Sasuke and Naruto after their parents died because of war.

· Have a crush on Yuki that lived not far away from them

· Fall sick and hide it from his brothers

· Died in ch.3, age 18

**Uchiha Sasuke**

· First appearance in ch.1, age 7

· Affiliate: a small village in the outskirt of Konoha, later Iwa city

· After his brother's death, he left home in ch.4, age 12

· Taken in by a samurai descendant family named Kaguryu

· Learned sword skill from the head of Kaguryu's family

· Highly skilled in using sword, considered second to his_ father_

· Appeared again in ch.7, when he had a mission in Konoha

· Meet Naruto again in ch.8, after more than ten years, age 25

· Meet Amisa, a lady that changed his life in ch.7

**Uzumaki Naruto**

· First appearance in ch.1, age 7

· Affiliate: a small village in the outskirt of Konoha, later Konoha city

· Became a police officer in Hyuuga police forces, age 25

· Married to Hyuuga Hinata

· Meet Sasuke again in ch.8, after more than ten years

· Meet Yuki again when he planned to assassinate Yuki's husband in ch.15

· Neji found out that he was the assassin in ch.16

· Naruto's justice was to eliminate all the fraud people in the country

· His sword was concealed in his _shinai _(kendo stick)

· After quite sometimes of silent, he strike again in ch.17

**Yuki**

· First appearance in ch.1, age 13

· Affiliate: a small village in the outskirt of Konoha, later Grass city

· Lived with her grandma when her parents died

· Have a big crush on Itachi and was often rejected by the guy

· After Itachi's death, she took care of Sasuke and Naruto

· Get married and moved away in ch.5

· Meet again with Naruto in an unfortunate event in ch.15, age 31

· Lied to her husband, saying that she did not see Naruto's face when the guy intrude and was just a moment away from assassinating her husband

**Igarashi Kouta**

· Appearance in ch.3, age 32-34

· Affiliate: Konoha

· An officer in charge of the monetary support for the needy in Konoha city

· He said he was not biased in his decision

· Years later became the mayor, age 47

· Assassinated in his own room in ch.6 for his crime in the past, of misusing the money that was provided by Fire Country for the needy. Instead, using it for his own personal reason

**Hyuuga Hinata**

· First appearance in ch.5, age 25

· Affiliate: Konoha

· Younger sister to Hyuuga Neji

· Shy and introvert but felt comfortable around Naruto as he's an easygoing person

· Love that Naruto is always compassionate to others

· Pregnant in ch.16

**Hyuuga Neji**

· First appearance in ch.5, age 30

· Affiliate: Konoha

· Older brother to Hinata

· Superintendent of Hyuuga Police Forces

· Has two children, a son and a daughter

· Wife died after give birth to his daughter

· Found out that Naruto is the assassin in ch.16

**Miyama Kenji**

· Killed in ch.6, age 44

· Affiliate: Konoha

· A corrupt businessman, swindling people's money

· Received a death threat days before his death

**Matsuyama Family**

· Appearance in ch.7

· A rich merchant died of heart failure

· Affiliate: Konoha

· Eldest daughter and two younger sons fight over the inheritance

· The daughter found out about her father and brothers dark secret and told the police

· Matsuyama brothers and their deceased father were involved in child trafficking

· The brothers were killed brutally in ch.9

**Zumioshi Renzai**

· First appearance in ch.7, age 45

· Affiliate: Konoha

· A rich businessman, most probably inherited the wealth from his parents

· An eccentric man with a weird taste of enjoying life

· Tend to laugh awkwardly

· Have lots of maids, mostly are sex slaves that he bought for his own personal fulfillment but he never slept with them for no apparent reason

· Wept terribly when he knew the death of Amisa

**Kaguryu Monobe**

· First appearance in ch.11, age 54

· Affiliate: Iwa

· A large built man with clear low voice

· A descendant from samurai family

· Excellent in sword skill and has a lot of disciples

· Has two children, a son and a daughter

· Took Sasuke into the family and trained him

· Favor Sasuke more than his own son, because he thought that Sasuke is more calm and considerate

· A very strict teacher during training but a very gentle father on the other time

**Amisa**

· First appearance in ch.7, age 23

· Affiliate: Konoha, though her real origin was not clear as she was kidnapped when she was just a child

· A maid in Zumioshi's mansion

· Long dark hair and pale skin lady with a sweet smile

· Was a sex slave but bought by Renzai

· Had a tattoo on her right wrist, symbol of sex slaving

· Entertained Sasuke during his visit to Konoha

· Found out that she was pregnant in ch.13 with Sasuke's child

· Moved in to Kaguryu's mansion in ch.14 but was somehow regretting it

· Died in ch.19, when she was 5 months pregnant from a miscarriage; that was planned by Sasuke's jealous stepsister

**Yuu**

· Appearance in ch.8, age 24

· Affiliate: Konoha, real origin was never stated

· A maid in Zumioshi mansion that was asked by Renzai to entertain Sasuke

**Yoji**

· First appearance in ch.9, age 22

· Affiliate: Konoha

· Naruto's colleague

· Easygoing and like to learn many new things

· Has a girlfriend named Rin

**Hyuuga Terumi**

· First appearance in ch.11, age 6

· Affiliate: Konoha

· Neji's eldest son

· Became a quiet young boy after the death of his mother

**Hyuuga Ai**

· First appearance in ch.11, age 3

· Affiliate: Konoha

· Neji's youngest daughter

· Her mother died after giving birth to her

· Very close to Hinata

· Cheerful little girl

**Rin**

· Appearance in ch.11, age 19

· Affiliate: Konoha

· Yoji's girlfriend

· Shoulder length dark brown hair

**Kaguryu Takizawa**

· First appearance in ch.11, age 27

· Affiliate: Iwa

· Sasuke's stepbrother

· Envy of his father's favor on Sasuke

· Always pick a fight with Sasuke when they were young

· Good in sword skill but still weak compare to Sasuke's

· Always fight with his father about being the heir

· Saw his sister doing something to Amisa's drink but do nothing about it as he too dislike Sasuke

**Kaguryu Nami**

· First appearance in ch.11, age 22

· Affiliate: Iwa

· Sasuke's stepsister

· Like Sasuke more than her own blood brother

· Dislike Amisa for taking Sasuke away from her

· Hating Amisa more when she knew the latter was pregnant

· And as Amisa being curious about her cold treatment, she planned to have Amisa lose her child

· But she ended up killing both the mother and child and unfortunately, Takizawa saw her doing it

**Mina**

· Appearance in ch.13, age 56

· Affiliate: Konoha

· Renzai's personal medic

· Checked on Amisa when she was feeling sick of morning sickness

**Tamane**

· First appearance in ch.15, age 20

· Affiliate: Iwa

· A maid assigned personally for Amisa

· She handled most of Amisa's personal matter including helping her undress/dress (mentioned in ch.18/19), taking bath and prepared the herbs

· Bubbly and chatty young lady

· Stayed beside Amisa when she was giving birth

· Cried terribly when Amisa died

**Iwashi**

· Appearance in ch.15, age 38

· Affiliate: Grass city

· Chief of Grass city, also a spy

· Large built man, has long hair tied in ponytail, rough face

· Help in collecting evidence related to council member being involved in crime around the country

**Watanabe**

· Mentioned in ch.15, age unknown

· Affiliate: Grass city

· Council member that was suspected to be protecting criminals and supporting them in term of monetary support

· Have close connection to Kaguryu's family

**Hideyoshi**

\- Appearance in ch.15, age 33

\- Affiliate: Grass city

\- A rich fabric merchant that involved in small crimes around town

\- Almost killed in ch.15 by Naruto

**Jiraiya**

· Appearance in ch.19, age 58

· A rich businessman and also a pimp

· Has a lot of women living together in his big house

· Killed in ch.19

* * *

**A/N: New real chapter will be coming soon and the story will enter a new arc! Cheers!**


	21. Move On

**Disclaimer: Standard.**

* * *

**Chapter 20: Move On**

**xoxoxo**

"So you're going back today?" asked Monobe as he looked at the chubby man next to him. Renzai nodded slightly with his eyes still swollen because of crying too much yesterday. "I'm so sorry for your lost, Monobe-dono…" he said, then shifted his gaze to Sasuke, "you too, Uchiha-sama. I'm so sad, but you must be suffering more than I did…" he continued. Sasuke stared blankly at him. Renzai let out a long sighed as tears puddle again in his eyes.

Later that afternoon, Renzai was preparing to leave the place with his maids. "Uchiha-sama, maybe it's not my position to say this. But, please stay strong, time will heal" said Renzai as he patted on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke nodded weakly at the guy. "Be careful on your journey…" said Monobe as Renzai left the Kaguryu's compound.

Monobe then turned to his son, realizing that Sasuke was walking back into the main house. "Sasuke…" he called out, "let's talk a bit." Sasuke turned slightly to him. "I know it might not be a good time, but Tamane, she was devastated since Amisa's death" said Monobe. Sasuke looked at his father questioning. "I heard from the other maids, Tamane kept on blaming herself on the miscarriage. It wasn't her fault. So, I thought you could talk to her…" continued Monobe. Sasuke nodded slowly and left.

That night, Sasuke went to Tamane's room, to seek for an answer and to console the maid. "Tamane" stated Sasuke as he entered the room. Tamane was sitting at the edge of her bed, wiping the tears off her cheeks when Sasuke came. "Sasuke-sama?" she said. Sasuke stood beside her. He could saw the toll of Amisa's death upon Tamane; she was disorganized. "I'm sorry for what happened to Amisa-sama" she pleaded, sobbing again.

"Tell me… her last moment" said Sasuke looking down on the lady. Her lips trembled, holding in the urge to cry out. Her chest went up and down in tune with her light sob. "She… she said sorry, to you…" then Tamane cried out loud. Moments passed with Tamane kept on sobbing while Sasuke stayed silent eyeing the devastated lady.

Tamane grasped herself back; she wiped the unstoppable tears, looking up at Sasuke again. "I hate myself for not being able to do anything… I… I just can't do anything" she muffled her sob, clasping her mouth. Sasuke closed his eyes to not see the sadness in her, to not let himself distraught. "Don't blame yourself" muttered Sasuke. Tamane gasped in between her sob. "I believe that Amisa won't blame you. You've done a good job, staying with her till her last moment…" said Sasuke, inhaling deeply, "I wasn't there… she must've been blaming me, like I blame myself" he continued.

Tamane's face twisted in horrible sadness, she muffled herself into her palms. "Thank you…" she mumbled. Seeing the lady getting overwhelmed by her grieve, Sasuke's eyebrows frowned deeper, his chest felt heavy. He left the room, leaving Tamane, as his head pounded trying not to cry.

**XOXOXOX**

Days had passed with Sasuke spent most of his time practicing whenever he was home. He tried to fill his head with other thoughts whenever any memories of Amisa came up. "Sasuke…" Monobe called out. Sasuke was stunned. He turned to his father that was standing at the porch, looking at him. Sasuke tried to regulate his breathing as he was panting from his sword practice. He put his sword back into its sheath, he walked over to Monobe.

"I can see that you're still troubled" commented Monobe. Sasuke did not answer; he gave his father a wondering look in the eyes. "Your stance just now – it was rage" said Monobe. The father and son sat on the porch. "I know you're still upset from what had happened. And I know that it will take a long time to heal… but Sasuke, don't keep blaming yourself" the father continued.

Sasuke looked afar towards the green garden. "I heard that Tamane left the house" said Sasuke. "Hmm… yes. As long as she's fine, that's okay" replied Monobe. Sasuke nodded in agreement. "I understand your feeling. I once lost a wife too" said Monobe while being eyed by Sasuke. "She fell gravely ill. Nami just turned two when she died… but I can't compare to your lost anyway, because I was there for her…" Monobe continued. Then he put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"It must be hard for you too, to-san… for being there when your wife died, but unable to do anything…" said Sasuke. Monobe thought for awhile. He silently agreed. "It's hard… both ways. If I was there, I knew I can't accept the fact that I can't do anything for her. And now that I wasn't there for her, I still feel guilty" said Sasuke, still looking faraway. Monobe sighed. "You're right. We just want them to stay… that's all. All we can do now is move on" he said. Sasuke nodded and closed his eyes as Amisa's smiling face flashed through his mind.

**XOXOXOX**

"It's done". Startled, Neji turned to the source of the voice. He saw a masked man looking at him. "Take off the mask damn it" said Neji. The man removed the mask. "How's my idea of you wearing a mask, Naruto?" asked Neji. "Stuffy" said Naruto as he sat in front of Neji. "But it's better to conceal your identity" said Neji. "I prefer my victims to see my face before they meet their death" stated Naruto without any remorse. "You're so heartless" said Neji, looking at the blondie.

Naruto snorted, he turned away slightly. Being an assassin did have a toll in his heart. He had to remove all the guilt as he looked into his victims' eyes. Eventually, he felt nothing at their fear. "I have to finish my job fast… not that I'm heartless, just giving them a better way to die" said Naruto after a deep thought. Neji eyed his in-law. "I never thought that I did this. It shaken me to my core when I decided to _dirty_ my hand in your affair" stated Neji. Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"I've never asked you to involve in this, nii-san…" stated Naruto in annoyance. "But how did you do it? Don't you feel anything at all?" asked Neji. Naruto inhaled deeply. He raised his hands slightly and looked at them. "My hands… they are firm now. I remember that my hands were shaking uncontrollably after my first victim" said Naruto, as he peered at Neji. "But I do feel scared sometimes, scared of losing myself. I hate it when I started to feel accomplish after killing them. Am I becoming just like them?" asked Naruto.

Neji thought for awhile. "What do you mean?" he then asked. "I killed bad people. Does that make me a bad guy too?" said Naruto. "Naruto, I can't answer that. But, I do feel bad for not capturing you for all you've done. And for all the time I spent to catch the assassin. Now that you're in front of me, yet I can't do anything. Selfish, isn't it?" said Neji, smirking. Naruto unconsciously nodded.

"Let's move on, Naruto. I have this one guy I need you to investigate" said Neji as he gave Naruto a document on his next mission. "Watanabe?" uttered Naruto. Neji nodded. "You wanted me to check on this guy? How about Monobe?" asked Naruto. "Monobe is the least of our concern. Then I'll leave this to you" said Neji. "Fine. Then, I'll get going. Hinata must be waiting for me" said Naruto as he got up and left the room.

**XOXOXOX**

The next day at work, Naruto was summoned to Neji's office after the meeting. Neji was waiting for him when Naruto entered. "What is it, nii-san?" asked the blondie. "Have a seat. I just wanna talk a bit with you…" said Neji as Naruto took a seat in front of him. "As people started to panic again because of your act last night, we have to stay discreet" said Neji. "But we're discussing it here, is it okay?" asked Naruto. Neji nodded, "Since we can't actually talk about this at home. Office will be much safer, since no one suspecting us meeting like this" he explained. Naruto instinctively agreed.

"Anyway, luck is on our side. I have men investigating on Watanabe's dirty affair, and I struck jackpot" said Neji in accomplishment. "The book you gave me last time, proven that Kaguryu's family really involved in helping Watanabe doing most of his dirty job. This includes human trafficking" Neji continued. "So, you want me to kill him?" asked Naruto. Neji crossed him arms, with a smile on his face. "Hold your horses, Naruto. I've told you, luck is on our side" he chuckled.

"I've received an intel from Iwashi, that Watanabe recently being blackmailed. By who, I don't know but his dirty affair seems to be drawing attention lately" said Neji. "So, he must be targeted by other people too?" asked Naruto, needing an explanation. "Yes, and this has create a chance for us. I want you to go to Grass city, to help Iwashi on this matter. Because, unfortunately for Watanabe, he seeks help from the police forces" Neji's lips twisted into a cynical smile.

**XOXOXOX**

Naruto went to Grass city on his mission to help Iwashi. "I guess your real motive on being here is different?" asked Iwashi, almost whispering. Naruto was stunned somehow. "What do you mean?" he asked in return. "Everyone is looking for a way to capture Watanabe doing his dirty work. Even the villagers started to distrust him, since his scandal of misusing the Fire Country monetary fund. And now, Neji sent you here…" explained Iwashi.

"So, you're telling me that, the blackmailer is among the people?" asked Naruto. "That could be true. Even the mayor himself was accused of planning an assassination on Watanabe. Except that it failed, the entire plan failed" said Iwashi, disappointment written clearly on his face. "Fail, huh? This must be because of his relation to the samurai family, am I correct?" asked Naruto. Iwashi nodded.

Later that day, Naruto went to Watanabe's mansion together with Iwashi. _"You can take the chance to look around his house. It's rumored to be heavily guarded, and the guards aren't ordinary, they're skilled swordsmen. Just like you"_ Neji's words ran through Naruto's mind as he followed the servant to the main house. Naruto took his time observing the compound. Indeed, guards were everywhere. And as they were getting closer to the main house, the security seemed double if not triple. _"This could be troublesome"_ thought Naruto.

"Please, Watanabe-dono is waiting for you" said the servant as he guided Iwashi and Naruto into the main house. The front door was guarded too, and as they enter, they were literally greeted by guards. Watanabe was sitting at the end of the hall. "Please, come closer" he said. Iwashi and Naruto came closer to him but were stopped by the guard in the middle of the hall, with his sword. Both Iwashi and Naruto were startled. Watanabe gestured to his guard to lower the sword.

The two policemen just stood at their place silently as they were forbid to go nearer by the guard. "Sorry, but I wouldn't risk myself being close to anyone after the many assassination on me" mentioned Watanabe. "We understand that, Watanabe-dono. But we're here to take a look on the blackmail letter and to find out the culprit, as you wish" said Iwashi. Watanabe gestured to his maid. The maid then gave a piece of paper to Iwashi. The paper was written 'KILL' in red.

"Blood maybe?" muttered Iwashi as he observed the letter. "Watanabe-dono, pardon me of asking this, but why do you think there are people blackmailing you?" asked Naruto. Both Watanabe and Iwashi were stunned at the question. "Hm… I guess everyone has an enemy. I bet you're just trying to confirm your thought. And of course you knew that I was accused of many things against the law of the country" answered Watanabe. Naruto frowned, gritted his teeth in anger. "Am I right, ?" the councilman chuckled.

"Although we knew about your scandals in politic, if you're asking us for help, we're still doing our job. Isn't it, Naruto-san?" asked Iwashi, purposely to ease the tense. Naruto snorted, he did not response.

Iwashi and Naruto continued their investigation and interview with Watanabe and few of his guards and maids. They left late in the afternoon with no solid answer. However, Naruto's secret mission of viewing the compound was quite a success. "Watanabe-dono is much aware that we can't solve this with a mere paper. I wonder why he bothers to call us here?" commented Iwashi. "Maybe because he thought it was necessary. If he didn't do so, it seems like he actually agree to all the accusation" replied Naruto. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Do as normal people do" said Iwashi.

**XOXOXOX**

Back to Konoha, Naruto reported on his mission to Neji. "Good job. I bet you can imagine yourself infiltrating into the mansion at night to kill him?" asked Neji, smirking, sarcastically. Naruto did not say a word as he thought it was never a fun thing to do sneaking into someone's house, uninvited and trying not to be caught. "So, what's next?" asked Naruto. Neji let out a sigh, "Don't be too hasty. I can see that you're impatient with everything. Why? Are you unsecure?" he asked. Naruto unconsciously shook his head, "No, I was just wondering."

"I'll have you take this matter slowly. And remember, his guards are swordsmen too, so you'll need time to prepare" said Neji. "But I never took a long time to strike" replied Naruto, crossing his arms in disagreement. "Well, I don't want to risk you getting caught or hurt. Watanabe is nothing like any of your past victims. His mansion is way bigger," Neji tapped his finger on the blueprint, "And highly guarded. Even Watanabe himself is skilled in sword".

"I get it…" muttered Naruto, eyeing his in-law. Neji leaned back on his chair. "If you get caught, it will be the end to both of us. And Hinata will be so much in dismay" he stared deeply into Naruto's blue sky eyes.

**XOXOXOX**

Later that night, Naruto thought of getting to bed early since he was exhausted from the kendo practice during the day. He rest next to Hinata. "Hinata…" he said, as he placed his hand on Hinata's belly. The lady put away the book she was reading, turning her attention to her husband. "Yes?" she asked, stroking softly into Naruto's golden lock.

"Nothing, I just wanted to say your name" he said, kissing her belly. "You've been so busy lately, Naruto-kun" she commented. Naruto looked at his wife. She had this unpleased look in her eyes, Naruto smiled. "Why? Are you feeling lonely?" he jokingly asked. Hinata pouted a little. "No, but you seldom at home and when you're at home, you're busy with kendo practice" she sounded unhappy.

Naruto locked his gaze with her. He had a lot went on in his mind, a lot more to tell her but he just could not. He forced a smile. "I'm really sorry Hinata" he said, rubbing her belly. "I hope I'll be a better husband to you… and soon, be a good father to our child" he said. Hinata frowned at his words. "I know you will" she said.

* * *

**A/N: Gomen.. gomen... for the long hiatus. Here's the chapter comeback. The story is entering a new arc, more characters waiting and more twisted the storyline will be. Happy reading!**


	22. Act

**Disclaimer: Standard.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains brief lemon! Proceed with caution.**

* * *

At the Hyuuga compound, the sound of wooden swords clashing was heard. Naruto and Neji were practicing kendo. "You need to be more precise, Naruto" said Neji. "You're going to fight skilled swordsmen. Not some ordinary guards!" he continued, while swinging his _shinai_, attacking Naruto endlessly. "Ugh…" grunted Naruto as he parried Neji's blow.

"Can we stop for a break?" asked Naruto in between his panting, "Nii-san! We've been practicing since this morning…" he continued, inhaling deeply. Neji too, was panting, exhaled loudly and eventually stopped. "Okay…" he said. They bowed to each other as a sign of respect to end the sparring.

"Come to the reading room after dinner. We'll talk about the next mission" said Neji as he left the compound. Naruto eyed Neji's back while his mind reeled to whatever thoughts he had about the coming mission. He knew Neji was serious this time and he could felt the pressure.

**/**

After the dinner, Naruto went to the reading room as promised, to meet Neji. "Have a seat" said Neji, gesturing to the chair across of him. Naruto took a seat while being eyed by his in-law. "So, how will it be?" asked Naruto. "Relax. Don't be hasty, remember?" replied Neji as he shifted on his seat, placing his chin on his right hand, leaning closer on the table. Naruto kept silent.

"Here…" Neji handed a file to Naruto. It contained details of Watanabe. Naruto flipped through the pages. "This wouldn't help much" commented Naruto. Neji somehow nodded in agreement. "I know, it's to give you more insight of him. Moreover, I have an inside man in his mansion, giving information to me. Thus, I want you to go there in three days time. Watanabe's wife and son will leave the mansion with some guards to a temple at the other end of town. I'll make up a mission for you to go there, so no worries" explained Neji.

Naruto snorted. "Would that makes any difference? Still, he has many guards left" he said. "You're right but the security will be less tight in certain area of the mansion. And the fact that the guards will focus on watching over the main house, will help you at the start of your infiltration" replied Neji. Naruto nodded in agreement, although he knew that it would not help much. "So here's the plan…" and Neji explained his plans to Naruto.

**/**

The night went on, and Naruto returned to his room. To his surprised, Hinata was still awake. She was reading a book on the bed. "Hinata, I thought you're already asleep?" asked Naruto, and then yawned a little.

Hinata closed the book and put it on the side table. She looked at her husband that was now making his way to the bed. "You seem busy these days" mentioned Hinata as her eyes studied Naruto's tired face. "And… you don't spend much time with me… Naruto-kun…" she muttered, pouting a bit while looking away.

Naruto was now on the bed, looking at her, blinking his blue eyes. He then smirked. "You feel lonely?" he said, placing his hand on top of Hinata's hand and caressing it softly. The wife returned his stare with a deep frown. "Soon… you'll be the father of this child" said Hinata, caressing her belly, "I just want some of your time… going through the time of soon-to-be-parent together… not just me alone" she continued and pouting again.

"When this child is born to this world, I want you to be there. To be there for me, for the child. And be involved in every moment of his time growing up" she said. This was the first time Naruto heard Hinata talking with a voice so firm yet so determine. The blondie kept silent as he observed Hinata's bulging belly. He too, felt guilty of having her being alone most of the time but his works needed more of him being discreet.

Forcing a smile, Naruto placed his hand on Hinata's belly. "Hinata, forgive me. I don't know that you'd feel this way. I was just…" Naruto shut his eyes as if he was thinking of something. Hinata looked at him in curiosity. "What is it Naruto-kun?" she asked. Naruto inhaled deeply, he kissed Hinata's hand, then her belly. "I wouldn't explain anything… it will only sound like an excuse" he said before kissing Hinata.

The wife was shocked at first but the kiss was what she longed for. They pulled apart after some moment of passionate kissing, Hinata smiled slightly. Naruto on the other hand, felt a little bit of tightness in his pants. "It's been awhile, Naruto-kun…" muttered Hinata. She was blushing from her own burst of feeling, needing more attention from Naruto. But the husband seems indifferent.

"Is it… Is it because of my belly?" she asked, eyeing Naruto that was staring at her blankly. Then he blinked. "Ah?" he looked at her belly. "Yeah… I don't wanna hurt the baby" he said, frowning slightly. Hinata smiled at him while leaning closer. This time, she closed the distance between them and pressed a soft kiss on Naruto's lips. Slowly, the kiss grew intense.

Naruto trailed the kiss along Hinata's neck with the wife gasping in pleasure. His hands ran along her arms, feeling her soft skin. Then down to her waist, to every curves of her body. Then her bulge, which made Naruto waver. He pulled the kiss apart again; Naruto looked down to Hinata's belly that was in between them. Hinata could saw the uncertainty in Naruto.

"It'll be okay… I want it, I want more…" muttered Hinata as she held Naruto's hands. Naruto looked at her again, still frowning. "Are you sure you want it?" he asked. Hinata nodded to him. He too, could not deny the urge of wanting to have her but since she got pregnant, he just could not do it.

**/**

"Tell me if you're hurt…" said Naruto in a worried tone. "Relax Naruto-kun… I'll be fine. The baby will be fine…" replied Hinata in between her gasp and moan. She was biting her bottom lip as to hold in the pleasure as Naruto pounded into her from behind. Hinata let out a sharp gasp each time Naruto hit the right spot. As her arms got tired, she cushioned herself with her big breasts; carefully not to put any pressure on her belly from her own weight.

Naruto held her hips firmly while rhythmically thrusting into Hinata's birth canal. As Naruto increased his speed, Hinata kept on gasping and moaning. That made Naruto troubled somehow, worried that she was actually in pain. Realizing that her husband was holding back, Hinata turned her head to peek on Naruto. "Don't… ah— don't hold back…" she muttered. Naruto nodded slightly as he found his tempo again.

Feeling that his edge is near, Naruto kept his steady pace of going in and out of her. Slowly, he slid his hand in between Hinata's thigh, searching for the one button that could make Hinata pleading. And yes, he found it. Hinata's eyes shot open, her gasp went from weary to sharp and needy. Naruto smirked as she squeezed him from the inside, drawing himself closer to the end.

"Na-Naruto-kun…" she said, trembling a little on her bending position. Naruto pushed a few more deep thrusts and he was finished. They both were panting from the sex making. Hinata slowly lie on the bed as she caressed her belly, while enjoying the throbbing sensation she had down below. Naruto too, cuddled next to her. "I love you, Hinata…" whispered Naruto and slanted a kiss on Hinata's lips. The night went on perfectly for them both.

**/**

It was the promised day. Naruto was in a small inn outside of Grass city, meditating –but failing. His eyebrows knitted closer as he could not find peace within himself. His eyes fluttered open and exhaling loudly, Naruto looked at the _shinai_ in front of him. _"Tonight…"_ he whispered inwardly. He picked the _shinai_ and pulled the sword out. The sword reflecting the light at the ceiling and the thought of having someone's blood tainted the sword, made Naruto shuddered.

The night was deaf silent, except for the sound of him breathing. Naruto slowly opened his eyes in the middle of the night. He got up from his meditating position, firmly holding his _shinai_. He was ready for his mission.

In the cold, dark night, Naruto left the inn and head to the Grass city that was only half an hour away. It did not take him long to arrive at the outside of Watanabe's compound. Naruto glanced around, to confirm himself that he was really alone.

After making sure that no one was near, Naruto quickly jumped onto the wall and into Watanabe's compound. It seemed that what Neji predicted was right; there were not many guards keeping watch at the compound. Naruto with haste headed towards the main house by keeping close to the wall and using the shadow as his coverage.

As Naruto was getting near to the main house, he abruptly stopped as he heard voices. Quickly, Naruto hid behind a tree nearby. Two guards appeared, talking with each other. "Sigh… Watanabe-sama really is a bit watchful about tonight" said one of the guards. "I was shouted at for scaring him when I came to check on him. Guess I'll be made poorer this month" he continued. "Maybe he was just a bit anxious since not many guards tonight to protect him" said the other.

"Hey…you go on ahead with the patrolling. I'm going to relieve myself here" said the guard. "Okay" said the other and left.

Crack. Naruto accidently stepped onto a twig alerting the guard. "Who's there?!" shouted the guard, quickly pulling up his pants. The guard drew his sword and walked closer to the tree where Naruto hid. _"Damn it! Guess it's now or never"_ thought Naruto as he put on his mask. "Show yourse—" and before the guard could finish, Naruto came from around the tree and stabbed the guard in the neck.

"Hey…are you done ye—" said the other guard that came to check on his friend, but was shocked to see that an assailant was there. The dead guard fell to the ground and Naruto quickly rush to his next target. The guard quickly drew out his sword and blocked Naruto's attack. Naruto kicked the guard in the gut making him fall to the ground. "Intru—". Naruto slashed the guard before he could alert the others about his presence there.

_"__I need to be fast before others become aware" _thought Naruto and make a dash to the main house. Remembering the blueprint Neji gave to him, Naruto went to the room where Watanabe sleep. Carefully sliding the door open, Naruto went in, with his sword in his hand. In the darkness, Naruto could see the councilman sleeping soundly on the bed. Slowly, Naruto walked towards Watanabe.

Suddenly, as Naruto was nearing him, Watanabe quickly got up and swung a sword towards Naruto. Naruto managed to dodge in the nick of time. "It seemed that you couldn't sleep well" said Naruto. Watanabe, with his sword in his hand, pointed to Naruto and said, "You've choose the wrong target, Mr. Assassin". Watanabe then cut a rope behind him, sounds of bamboo clanking was heard. "You've fallen into my trap" he said. "Don't think that I will allow this chance to slip" said Naruto, and charged towards Watanabe. Watanabe was a bit shocked as the assassin chose to attack instead of fleeing.

"Hurry up! Watanabe-sama is in danger! The assassin is here!" shouted the guards. Most of the guards in the compound rushed to the main house. Sounds of sword clashing were heard from the main house. The guards quickly barged into Watanabe's room. Naruto was near the window, ready to escape as the fight was dragged too long that the guards finally came. His left arm was injured as Watanabe was skillful just as Neji said. "Don't let him get away!" shouted Watanabe to his guards. Naruto quickly jumped out the window and disappeared into the darkness.

**/**

"Arghh…" Naruto grunted in pain as he wrapped the bandages around the wound at his arm. He just sat there in silent, in his dark room at the inn. He thought of his failed mission and it sent chill down his spine thinking that he almost get caught back there. It was a feeling that he not had for quite some time –feeling of fear.

The next day, Naruto went back to Konoha and reporting to Neji about his failed mission. "He'll double the guards because of this" muttered Neji, as he was thinking hard of other plan. "Sorry. I don't want it to fail either" said Naruto. Neji looked at him. "It's nothing to worry about. As long as you're safe and managed to get away, is enough. But I saw that you've injured your arm" said Neji, pointing to Naruto's left arm.

Instinctively, the blondie looked at his own arm, he frowned. "Maybe I look down too much on him. He's quite good in sword actually" said Naruto, smirking. The Hyuuga sighed. "Don't say that. It will only lower your resolve" commented Neji, as Naruto nodded to him.

"I'll look into this matter and find a way to settle this thing. For now, you can rest assure" said Neji. And the plan did not take a long time for Neji. He went to the Grass city again, together with Naruto. He was still helping with the threat upon Watanabe and the intruder incident only open an opportunity for them.

"I'm honored that you could make it here, Neji-san" said Watanabe. "I'm not good in being flattered, Watanabe-dono…" replied Neji. "Somehow, it's on official purpose that I'm being here. So, as not to waste our time, I'll start by taking your statement" he continued. "Sure… this way" said Watanabe as he led their way to the guest room.

Then he realized the bandages around Naruto's arm. "Pardon me, but how did Naruto-san hurt his arm?" mentioned Watanabe. They all stopped at their track. "A-ah… yeah, I accidentally injured myself a few days ago. It's nothing, really" said Naruto, chuckling. Watanabe frowned slightly as he recalled about something.

"I remembered my encounter with the assassin. When I fought him that night, I managed to cut him…" said Watanabe, pointing to Naruto's arm. "There… exactly at that place". Both Neji and Naruto were stunned. "Really? What a coincidence…" stated Naruto. "Well, it can't be you, isn't it ?" asked Watanabe, sarcastically. "We've just arrived today. How could it be Naruto…" replied Neji, somehow feeling pressured. He felt slightly disturbed with the fact that Naruto did not conceal the bandages.

"No worry, Neji-san. I'm just joking… just joking…" said Watanabe before he laughed out loud. The investigation on the intruder case went smoothly. And it was time for Neji and Naruto to leave. "We'll see into this matter, Watanabe-dono. We're taking a leave now" said Neji, bowing then shaking hand with Watanabe. Naruto on the other hand was patting on Watanabe's shoulder much to the councilman's curiosity. "Take care. We'll see you soon" said Naruto.

**/**

And later that night, Neji and Naruto were summoned back to Watanabe's mansion as the councilman died mysteriously. "This is unexpected. Who knew he would die like this. Moreover, with us being here in the city…" commented Neji, as he observed the cold body on the bed. The hospice doctor was just confirming the death of Watanabe and explained the cause as sudden death.

"Heart attack is most likely" mentioned Neji as he looked at Naruto. The blondie somehow was fixed at the dead body. "I remembered that I've told him, we'll see him soon. But I don't expect that it'll be this soon" Naruto did not smirked but Neji could felt the feeling of contentment radiated around him. "Don't tell me that it was your doing?" whispered Neji, frowning, eyeing the blondie. Naruto turned to look at him, he smirked.

_'If only they realized the small red dot on his left shoulder...'_

* * *

**A/N: I have no other methods in making Watanabe die. So, I thought, having Naruto poisoning him is enough. Anyway, happy reading!**


	23. 49 Days, Sasuke's Final Goodbye

**Disclaimer: Standard.**

**A/N: This is just a short chapter to end Amisa's arc. More to filler-ish type of chapter but I just can't ignore it. New arc will be on the next update. Anyway, thanks for reading!**

* * *

Holding the bangle, Sasuke's mind could not stop remembering the happiness on Amisa's face when she received it. He smiled slightly. Suddenly, Sasuke heard footsteps behind him; he immediately hid the bangle inside of his _yukata_. He turned to the noise. It was Nami. "Nii-san… am I disturbing you?" asked Nami as she got closer. Sasuke shook his head. "No, what is it?" he asked, then looked down to the pond beneath the bridge. The water was calm.

Nami too, leaned at the bridge's railing, looking at Sasuke. "I just want to talk to you, nii-san. I can see that you're still grieving at her death. It's been a month now…" said Nami. Sasuke peeked on her slightly with his eyes narrowed. "I… I don't mean anything, but…" Nami sighed deeply. "Seeing you like this, it pains me too…" said Nami.

"I'm sorry…" said Sasuke. "Remember, you're not alone. We're all here for you. And me too… I'm always here for you, Sasuke nii-san…" said Nami, putting her hands on top of Sasuke's hand. Somehow it made Sasuke felt offended, he pulled away. Nami bit her bottom lip. "Sorry, I didn't mean anything…" she muttered. "I just… need some more time" replied Sasuke.

"Then I'll help you, nii-san… to erase your pain that is…" said Nami as she got closer to Sasuke. It made Sasuke frowned. "What?" he asked as the lady was now mere inches away from him. "I'll help you forget the pain. Nii-san… I always love you, don't you know that?" said Nami, clutching to Sasuke's _yukata_. Sasuke's breathe caught up in his chest from the realization and he was totally stunned.

Nami shut her eyes and tip toed to meet Sasuke's height as to kiss him. Sasuke immediately grabbed on Nami's shoulders and he pushed her away to arm length slightly. Nami gasped at his stepbrother's response. "Nami… I'm sorry… people will see us" said Sasuke, frowning at the lady. "I'm trying to help you, nii-san… to forget the painful memories" said Nami, almost provoking. "You don't understand. I just don't want to forget her yet…" replied Sasuke, almost angrily.

Unconsciously, Nami's hands formed a fist. "Nii-san! I just want to make you happy!" she spat. "Yes, I understand how you feel… but I can't accept your feeling, Nami. I'm sorry… and thank you" said Sasuke then he left. Nami was taken aback.

**-/-**

It had been almost an hour and he started to feel pins and needles across his feet. Sasuke shifted a little from his sitting position. Slowly, he shifted his gaze to the altar. Amisa was smiling at him, as usual. "Sasuke…" said Monobe, putting a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke was snapped from his thought. "Tomorrow is the day. I hope you can let her go…" said Monobe. Sasuke nodded slightly.

The day had come, the 49th day. The day where spirit stop wandering in the dark and go to the other world, to be reborn and reincarnate. Sasuke woke up early for the ceremony. "Sasuke, I'm sorry for your lost…" said Takizawa as Sasuke entered the hall. Nodding slightly, Sasuke left him behind. He was prepared for the day of the final goodbye or so he hoped. "_Will this be the last?"_ he thought.

Everyone was in the hall, even Renzai and Tamane. The 49 days ritual went on peacefully with monk chanting the sutra. Peace was far from Sasuke's heart. He felt more desperation and frustration. Throughout the ceremony, he immersed himself in his own thought. The memories of Itachi's death also lingered in his mind.

After the ritual, Sasuke went straight to his room. Until, Nami stopped him on the way. "Nami, I just want some time alone…" he said, quickly tried to leave the place. "Nii-san…" she called out, "I'm just… I'm sorry…" she then muttered. Nami felt awful seeing Sasuke so deeply hurt. The guilt built up in her day by day, it was devastating. "I'm really sorry…" she said in a raspy voice as Sasuke left.

**-/-**

In his room, Sasuke sat silently on his bed. His chest felt heavy of sadness and guilt. Sasuke could not stop blaming himself for not being with Amisa at her last moment. "Amisa, I…" Sasuke said as he held the bangle in his hands. He shut his eyes tight and breathed deeply to erase the pain he had in his chest.

Suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder, it made Sasuke jolted. His eyes shot open. "Amisa?" he muttered as his wife stood in front of him. She wore the white _kimono_ that she wore for her cremation and her skin was paler, if not almost transparent. Sasuke instinctively touched her hands and pulled her closer. Amisa smiled. "This… is this you?" asked Sasuke. He knew this could not be true but it felt so real to him. "I miss you…" said Sasuke, brushing slightly against her skin.

"Sasuke-kun…" said Amisa. Then she sat next to Sasuke. The pain in Sasuke's chest built up, almost suffocating. He tried so hard not to cry. "I… I'm sorry" he said. Amisa smiled slightly to him, touching Sasuke's face with her icy cold hand. "What are you sorry for? I've been hearing you blaming yourself. It makes me sad…" she said. In a cracked voice, Sasuke replied, "If… If I was there at that time… If I was with you, this thing..." he inhaled deeply. "…I won't let it happen" he continued.

Amisa looked at him deeply. "I never blame you… It's inevitable, Sasuke-kun" she said with her usual smile still intact. "And… someday, you'll find a better person than me. Now, I need to go…" she said. Sasuke felt pain in his heart, his gripped tightened around her wrist. "No…" he breathed out. "I won't let you…".

"Sasuke-kun… Thank you for everything" she whispered and embraced him. The guy stiffened in his position. He frowned deeply, fighting within himself to not wanting her go. "Is this… farewell?" he muttered. "Yes… and you have to move on forward" replied Amisa with a voice so firm yet so sad. Her solemn eyes met his troubled onyx. "What if I can't move on?" he asked.

"Then I'll be sad. Just remember, I'm always with you" said Amisa. "I…" Sasuke was holding back on his word when the wife started to fade away. Slowly she faded into the light. The feeling of her icy touch on his face was still there. Sasuke was frozen in his place. He did not even realize it when a lone tear ran down his cheek. "…I love you" he muttered.

**-/-**

Sasuke woke up on his bed, confused. He frantically looked around the room but no one else was there. He still remembered talking to Amisa. He knew that she was not _real_. _"Was it just a dream?"_ he thought. The blue-green bangle was still in his hand and he clutched to it tightly. Sasuke smiled at his thought and a little bit of peace seeped into his heart.

_'__Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation'_


	24. Shirohae

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden. Only some OCs and the plot.**

* * *

Sasuke placed his sword on the small table in the cramped room. He just arrived at Grass city. It had been quite sometimes since he last went on a secret mission. _'Are you sure you can handle it?'_, his father's voice rang in his head. Sasuke knew he had to get over it someday –the heartache that is.

Slowly, he flipped at the old book. It was torn at the side and pages had turned yellow, indicating of how old it had been. The data book was given by Monobe to him before he embarked on this mission. And of course, the book was given to Monobe by a private spy in the first place. Reading through the data, making Sasuke's brows frowned deeper. It was indeed full of details about Watanabe and his family's affairs. Then he realized one particular thing that kept popping up in most of the pages –Hyuuga and Iwashi. Sasuke's stomach churned at the mention of 'Hyuuga' in the pages.

Sasuke flipped over to the last few pages. It was some details on Watanabe's death. He read every word written carefully. Apparently, the spy was suspecting that the chief Iwashi and the Hyuuga head were involved in the councilman's death. Still frowning, Sasuke darted his gaze away from the book. Iwashi was never a problem but Hyuuga is. He could not stop thinking of Konoha and more precisely, Naruto.

Snorting out loud, Sasuke closed the book. He took out a small scroll. It contains the real instruction of the mission although he figured out much of what to do exactly. Sasuke's breath hitched at his chest. It had been a long time since he last dirtied his hand.

**XOXOXOX**

A day passed just like that. And the Uchiha was on his way to the Konoha entrance. "Welcome home, Uchiha-sama" greeted the chubby man. "Thank you" said Sasuke. He could not help it but felt that Renzai's greeting made him gloomy. His eyes looked around the compound and nothing had changed, it seems. "So, I guess you're staying here for couple of days?" asked Renzai with his usual grin, although, less cheerful. Sasuke looked at him, trying not to convey any emotion, "Yes".

Renzai served him with his most prized tea, brewed from expensive, high-quality tealeaf. The scent filled the room, tantalizing yet calming. Sasuke inhaled the scent before he sipped on it. "This is your home too, now, Uchiha-sama…" spoke Renzai in rather a monotonous tone, unusual to his regular cheery one. Sasuke tried to avert from the topic, from the stare completely. "Yes, I know. And thank you for allowing me…" said Sasuke. Somehow Renzai gave him a look, waiting for more. "…to be part of this family" exhaled the Uchiha at last. Renzai responded by nodding to him, wiping a small drop of tear from his eye.

"So, what is your business here anyway?" asked Renzai, then sipping on his tea. He gazed at Sasuke over the ceramic tea cup. "I can't tell you that" replied Sasuke. Well, nodding somehow, Renzai knew his answer. "And later I'm going out somewhere. There's someone I want to meet" added Sasuke as he finished his tea.

**XOXOXOX**

"Sasuke?" the blond was wide eyes to see the Uchiha's blank face in front of his yard. "I can't believe it. Is it really you?" Naruto said and sighed a bit. "It's not that long since I last coming here…" replied Sasuke. Naruto blinked and then smiled. "Come on. I'm just happy to see you, that's all" he said, gesturing to Sasuke to follow him. They went to the porch. A small zen garden was in front of them, with a small pond at the end of it. "I'll have the maid prepare us something" said Naruto as he left Sasuke. The Uchiha took his time looking around the Hyuuga compound. It was peaceful, not much guards around but it was indeed a big compound.

"Sorry for the wait…" said Naruto as he took a seat across of Sasuke. "So, what brings you here?" he asked. Sasuke thought for awhile. "Business…" he simply said. Naruto nodded. Less that he knew, Sasuke's business was with the Hyuuga mansion itself. "I think I'm just lucky…" said Sasuke suddenly, making Naruto raising an eyebrow. "Because you're always in every time I came over" Sasuke added. "Yeah, you're right Sasuke! Just that my shift is more flexible now…" he said, grinning widely.

Suddenly the sliding door next to them opened. A lady appeared with a tray in her hands. Naruto immediately got up from his seat. "Hinata! Why are you bringing this? It's heavy…" he said with a slight anger in his tone as he took the tray from her. "Where's the maid, I wonder…" he continued muttering. Hinata smiled at her husband. "I'm the one insisted on bringing this over… it's my fault then" she chuckled. Sasuke eyed them. Naruto placed the tray and helped Hinata to sit down. Her bulging stomach was so obvious and she had difficulty to sit down. Sasuke felt troubled somehow as the scene before him reminded him of some unwanted memories.

"Ah, Sasuke!" Naruto got back to his seat. "Hinata's pregnant, you know. Five months now" he continued, while he served the tea to Sasuke. Hinata smiled slightly, blushing all the way. "I can see that. Congratulation" said Sasuke. "That reminds me, how's your wife?" asked Naruto. Sasuke frowned slightly and his jaw clenched as he swallowed hard. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he caught the subtle changes on Sasuke's face. "What's wrong?" the blond muttered. Sasuke averted his gaze to the garden. "She's gone" he said. The words bit into Naruto and Hinata as their eyes softened. Seconds passed in silent. "S-Sorry… I didn't know" muttered Naruto. He gave Hinata a glance. The wife too, replied him with a deep frown.

Inhaling deeply, Sasuke returned his gaze towards the gloomy couple again. "It had been more than a month now" he said, but not enough details in telling that he had got over it. "How did she—?" asked Naruto. Hesitating, Sasuke somehow answered. "She had a miscarriage. She was supposed to be in six months now, if she's still alive" he said. Naruto and Hinata nodded slightly. "I hope… everything will be fine soon, Sasuke-kun" said Hinata. Sasuke put a soft gaze upon her, "Thank you" he said.

"Let's forget the sad things, shall we?" asked Naruto, chuckling a little. Sasuke forced a smile, he nodded in agreement. "So, where are you staying now, Sasuke?" asked Naruto, practically changing the topic. "A relative's house" said Sasuke simply. "I see. I guess you won't be staying the night here? Or if you want to…" he said. Sasuke gaped a little. The blond's invitation was tempting somehow, especially if it meant to assist his secret mission.

"No, thanks" replied Sasuke. He pushed away the tempting invitation of being under a roof with his next victim. Well, that is totally not the case. He would not expose himself like that. "It's fine then…" said Naruto, pursing his lips almost to a pout. Sasuke almost smirk at that. "Anyway, where are you from actually, Sasuke-kun?" asked Hinata, ever so casually. Naruto gulped at her bluntness of asking something he had always wanted to ask Sasuke himself. Even Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her question. "Iwa city" he said.

Naruto inwardly thanked his wife. A grin grew across his face. "I never thought that we're actually living close to each other, teme! Next time I might want to visit you!" he said, happily. Sasuke smirked, nodding slightly. "So, where's your in-law? I've never seen him" said Sasuke. "Ah, he's at the office during this time. That guy is a work freak…" commented Naruto. Hinata's eyebrow rose slightly. "No offence, Hinata…" Naruto chuckled awkwardly, after feeling the heat from Hinata's stare, bore into his head. "I'll introduce him to you next time if he's around. He'll be more than happy to see you" said Naruto. "Naruto have been talking a lot about you…" added Hinata. Naruto was flustered by her comment, his face turned red.

After a long chat, like usual, Sasuke excused himself before dinner. "See you again next time, Sasuke!" said Naruto. Sasuke replied him with a nod. He will, soon, he thought. As Sasuke was gone from his sight, Naruto turned away, only to see his wife coming towards him. She looks troubled and indeed had trouble walking fast with her big belly. "Hinata? What's wrong?!" asked Naruto in nervousness as him too, walked towards Hinata. "This…" Hinata panted a little, holding something in her hand. "…I think Sasuke-kun dropped this…" she said. It was a bangle. Naruto sighed in relieve somehow, while taking the bangle from her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, I guess so. It must be important to him. I'll keep this, until he comes back for it" said Naruto. He led Hinata back to their home.

"I'm really sorry for him, Naruto-kun…" said Hinata. Naruto looked at her. He could see her eyes softened. "But… he smiled anyway. I guess he's okay" she added. Naruto smiled at her. "I don't know, Hinata" said Naruto, as his eyes narrowed slightly. He remembered when Sasuke crumbled after Itachi's death. "A smile can be deceiving. What if it wasn't the truth?" he asked. Hinata eyed him. Abruptly, Naruto stopped on his feet. His own words were agitating him. "Naruto-kun?" Hinata called out to her dazed husband.

Returning her gaze, he smiled. "Nothing. I just remembered something that I had to do. Hinata, just go on first…" he said. As he looked at Hinata's back, the memory of his encounter with Watanabe came flooding his mind.

_/Flashback/_

_Naruto charged towards Watanabe with gritted teeth. It was a 'now or never' situation. Watanabe managed to encounter his attack with their blades clashing, screeching metal. "Guess the rumors are true, you're very skilled" complimented Naruto. Watanabe gave him a forced smile. "Heh, but not as skilled as you, " he replied. Their eyes did not falter, glaring deep into each others' souls. "But I need to finish you here…" said Naruto as he heaved a breath, forcing forward. Watanabe was merely in a defense mode, trying to buy himself some time. Naruto was no fool either, he knew it. "Just want to tell you something…" said Watanabe in between his breath while dodging the assault. "…what if it wasn't the truth? What if your truth are lies all along?". _

_Naruto huffed, ignoring his talks while kept on looking for a chance to land a blow on Watanabe. "I know who sent you!" Watanabe started to sound intimidate as Naruto's attack became forceful. Hearing this, Naruto stunned for a while, giving Watanabe an opening. He managed to graze on Naruto's left shoulder. "Shit!" cussed Naruto. "And you don't __**know**__ him!" continued Watanabe._

_/End of flashback/_

Naruto thought deeply at the words. "Why would he say that?" he muttered. "Naruto…" said a familiar male voice. Naruto turned to the voice, it was Neji. 'And you don't know him'. Watanabe's words rang in Naruto's head as he stared unblinking at Neji. It somehow made the Hyuuga heir felt agitated. "What?" Neji smirked. "Do I look like a criminal?" he then asked.

**XOXOXOX**

It was almost midnight and Neji was still in his reading room. He grunted at the slight headache he was feeling. Closing the document in front of him, he got up from his seat. As he walked out of the room, he passed by two of his guards. They bowed slightly at him. It was usual for them to see Neji went out late at night from the room. Neji peeked into his children's bedroom. He smiled as he saw them sleeping soundly on their beds. Neji slowly closed the door and walked cautiously to his bedroom. The night was definitely cold and silent.

Getting to his room, Neji locked the door behind him. He went straight to his large bed and tucked inside the thick blanket. He fast felt asleep. But not for long as a feeling of anxiety hit him. Neji bolted on the bed. He was breathing hard and his eyes scanned around his dark room. "Am I imagining things?" he muttered to himself. He could felt his heart racing madly.

"No, you're not" replied a voice. It was soft, almost a whisper. Neji was alarmed; he immediately got up from his bed. "Who's there?!" he yelled, turning at the voice source. A figure was standing silently in the dark. "I'm waiting for you to sleep…" said the voice. Now, the figure came out from the dark, into the dim moonlight that was shone through the window. Neji heaved his breath slowly, ready to defend himself.

Then, the figure stopped right in the middle of the room; blocking the moonlight slightly. "I guess… it's your sixth sense that you woke up suddenly" the man showed a shining blade towards Neji. The blade reflected the little light from the window, it made Neji swallowed hard.

"Who sent you?" asked Neji. "The answer to that question is obvious" said the intruder. "It can't be…" said Neji. The intruder then charged towards Neji. Neji dodged and rolled to the side of the bed. He quickly went to a table displaying a sword and grabbed it before the intruder turn to attack again. At the same time, Neji pushed a button at the side of the table sounding the alarm. "Tch" said the intruder. "Seems you are well prepared" he continued. "Let this be a warning to you" said the intruder and escaped.

**XOXOXOX**

Hearing the emergency alarm, guards headed to the source. Naruto and Hinata were awakened too. "What's that?" muttered Hinata in terror. An emergency alarm was triggered in the middle of the night. "Wait here!" instructed Naruto to Hinata as he sprung out of the bed. Naruto left his room and saw guards were rushing to the main house. "Neji!" stated Naruto as he rushed to the scene too. His house was intruded. His family was harmed. That was all Naruto could think about.

Suddenly, his steps died. A man ran towards him. They came face to face and a flush of heat ran across his spine. "Sasuke?" a word managed to escape his lips despite his heavy breathing. The said man glowered at him. "There he is!" yelled the guards as they hurried towards them. Sasuke ignored Naruto and he tried to escape. Naruto's eyes widened as he impulsively tugged on Sasuke's sleeve. Sasuke grunted and he tugged away hard. He managed to escape Naruto's pull.

**XOXOXOX**

"We have to find the intruder! And find his motive!" said Neji, angrily. His life was at verge. The intruder was obviously trying to kill him last night. He crossed his arms while pacing around the room. His guards followed his movement. "I bet the intruder was the one who killed Iwashi! And now, he's coming for me. He must be one of Watanabe's followers! No doubt!" said Neji in discontentment.

Then, Neji stopped in his track. "Naruto…" he exhaled, looking at the blond. "Are you sure you didn't saw his face?" asked Neji. Naruto shook his head for the tenth times.

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**A/N: The story is entering a new arc. We're getting close! Anyway, happy reading.**


	25. Faltering Heart

**Disclaimer: I don't own narutoverse. Only the plot and OCs.**

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**Chapter 24: Faltering Heart**

At the Kaguryu's mansion, Sasuke met his father, reporting on his last mission. "I've killed the chief of Grass city" he said and Monobe nodded to him. "I heard about it from my informant" replied Monobe. "But… I failed to get rid of the Hyuuga. Forgive me, to-san…" Sasuke bowed on the floor to his father. Monobe grunted. "Get up. Nothing to be ashamed of" he said. Sasuke lifted his head again, to look at his father. "You're not an assassin anyway. And he's not bad an opponent" said Monobe. His father's words were meant to console him but it did not help at all. Sasuke felt bad of failing his father's expectation.

"I will atone for my mistake" exhaled Sasuke. Monobe squinted at him. "How?" he asked. Sasuke glanced at the Kaguryu's clan leader. "In any way possible" he said in monotonous tone. He could not help it but to have an image of Naruto ran through his mind at that moment. Monobe looked him in the eyes, studying him, absorbing his resolve. Cold sweat formed on Sasuke's temple from his father's silence. Alas, Monobe spoke, "Just go get some rest. We'll talk about it some other time".

Sasuke got up, bowed and turned away to leave the room. Then once again, before he left, Monobe said something. "Even the toughest bamboo will break… if the pressure is too much for it to take". Sasuke heard it all clearly and he nodded slightly before leaving the room.

Returning to his room, Sasuke locked the door behind him. He put his sword down and straightaway removed his outer clothing. Then he reached for his inner pocket but immediately, his eyes narrowed in dismay. He knew that he had lost the bangle. The pocket was empty. He cursed himself inwardly for losing something that was so precious to him.

**/**

"You've got my permission" said Neji. He was sitting calmly at the reading room, with Naruto across of him. "The instruction is all in the scroll. I've prepared a record for your absent at the office. So, you just go on your mission, and—" Neji kept on talking until Naruto cut in. "Nii-san… don't worry. I'll take care of things" said Naruto, staring at his in-law. Neji frowned slightly. "I can see your anxiety. It makes me worry" Naruto continued.

Neji exhaled loudly, rubbing his temple. "Sorry. But I just can't rest assure… the intruder… I'm certain that he's one of Watanabe's followers or Kaguryu's disciples. Either way, I want Monobe dead!" explained Neji. Naruto stayed silent, eyeing the insecure Neji. "If they can't kill me that night, I'm sure they'll… come back…" said Neji. "I know nii-san. That's why I trust you with this house, while you trust me with the mission" Naruto smiled and got up from his place.

"Take care of Hinata for me. I'll be back soon" said Naruto as he made his way out of the room. Neji sighed deeply. "You too, be safe…" he muttered. Naruto left Konoha early in the morning, even before Hinata wakes up. But he did tell her about him going out of town early that day. As Naruto made his way to the town gate, he could not help it but to think of Neji's assassination attempt. _"Sasuke… who are you, really?"_ he thought. His stomach churned at the image of Sasuke running through his mind that fateful night. _"Is it you that I have to face next?"_ Naruto gritted his teeth from the thought.

The sun was high above the horizon when Naruto arrived at the outskirt of Iwa city. He remembered it when Neji asked him to meet someone before proceeding with the mission. "Suika village…" Naruto muttered silently as he walked along the market. "Indeed… a lot of watermelons here" he said, looking at the fruits that were sold abundantly. Then he stopped for awhile, reading the address that was given by Neji. "Where is this place anyway…" he muttered, while he looked for someone to ask.

"Hello there, uncle…" Naruto walked over to an old man selling herbs. "Can you please help me with this address?" he shown the paper to the old man. Naruto practically remembered that the person he was supposed to meet was a spy. And Neji wanted him to retrieve something from the spy that was once working for the Kaguryu clan.

Walking around the small village was somewhat difficult for Naruto as the information given by Neji was scarce. Furthermore, the spy seems to have moved from the given address. "Damn it… why would she moved this far?" he muttered as he walked over to a small house at the end of the street. Naruto knocked a few times. Then a young woman greeted him. Naruto blinked at her. "Hm… I wonder if this is the right house" muttered Naruto as he started to doubt the information he received.

The woman felt awkward at his presence. "Sir, how can I help you?" she softly asked. "I was… umm, looking for someone" said Naruto. "Her name is… Tamane" Naruto appended. The woman's eyes were widened in surprise. Naruto caught her reaction. "So, you're Tamane?" he asked as his eyes narrowed. The woman nodded. "I don't know you" she said, still standing behind the door.

"I won't be long. I was told to meet you" said Naruto. "By who?" she muttered. Naruto knew that she was not comfortable with them talking. "Hyuuga… he wanted me to retrieve something from you" said Naruto. However, Tamane was shocked at the mention of 'Hyuuga'. "What is it that you want?" she muttered. "I don't know. You tell me… maybe about Kaguryu's mansion" said Naruto. Tamane felt troubled. "I… I don't work there anymore. Now please go" she was about to close the door, Naruto stopped her. "Wait" he said. "I know that you're not working there anymore. But I need your help now. Just give me the thing that I was supposed to retrieve, then I'll go" Naruto said.

"I don't know anything that you're talking about…" muttered Tamane. Naruto inhaled deeply. "Tamane… let me tell you something. Hyuuga Neji had never told me anything about you, except for your name. Because he believes you, he believes that you'll help me today. Yet, you refuse me now" said Naruto. Tamane was breathing hard. The words that Naruto uttered were mere provocation although he sounded so true. "So, before I come here, I ran a research on your background" Naruto paused, while Tamane's eyes shot open. Naruto knew he had hit the mark.

"I know that you owed Hyuuga. So just you know, in case you've forgotten…" Naruto leaned closer to the door, "…you're alive now because of Hyuuga's mercy, isn't it right?" Naruto continued. Tamane broke to tears. He was totally right. "You're… right…" she said in her soft sob.

**/**

It was pass midnight. Sasuke was on his bed, sleeping, but his eyebrows twitched slightly every now and then. The water dripped from the faucet was disturbing him. With a loud grunt, Sasuke got up from his warm bed and walked over to the bathroom. He turned the faucet tightly in anger. Then he made his way to the bedroom again but abruptly halted. His eyes narrowed at a shadow moving slightly next to the dresser.

"Who's there?" his voice broke the silence in his room. The shadow shifted again, forward, into the light. Sasuke's eyes were widened in surprise. It was Naruto. "You really are something because you know that I'm here" said Naruto. The Uchiha stayed silent, and then his eyes narrowed when Naruto raised his sword towards him. The blade glinted in the candle light but something was dangling at the end of it. A familiar blue-green bangle that made Sasuke's eyes shot open again.

Naruto placed the bangle on the table, "I believe you dropped this" he said. Then they were staring at each other again in silent. Both were breathing slowly, while Sasuke was prepared for a fight. He kept on glancing over to his sword that was placed on the table across of him. "Who are you really? What brings you here?" asked Sasuke, tense in his voice. "Or how do I get here?" said Naruto, smirking. Sasuke clenched his jaw. Less that he knew, Naruto had the blueprint of the mansion. Getting to Sasuke's room was easy.

"Is it a trap, Sasuke? Or Kaguryu really do proud of themselves? I don't really have to sneak in, it seems like I let myself in" said Naruto sarcastically, moving a step and that made Sasuke clenched his fists. He eyed each of Naruto's movement closely. "So, you're the assassin?" he asked. Naruto chuckled lightly. "I guess you knew it by now. Yes, but relax Sasuke… I'm not here for your head" said Naruto as he clearly saw nervousness radiating from Sasuke.

Sasuke glowered at the blond. He knew too much of his intention. "For my father?" muttered Sasuke. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Father?" he repeated then sighed loudly. "You know what Sasuke, I was never careful of what I wish for. And I was lucky that I always get what I've wanted. But this one wish, a wish of meeting you again, I don't want it to be granted…" he locked his gaze at Sasuke's dark eyes. "…not like this. Not at my enemy's mansion, not in your room… not against you" he continued.

"So why are you doing this? You're a policeman…" said Sasuke. Naruto was taken aback. "It's my way of justice… just like you. You almost kill a police chief" he replied. "But it's my job" answered Sasuke simply. Then, Naruto slowly made his way towards the open window. Before Naruto left through the window, he gaze upon Sasuke over his shoulder, "Remember your real family" he said. Sasuke had a lot of things running through his mind.

**/**

As Sasuke stood silent at his place, his resolve was starting to break. "_I guess to-san was right. I'm not a tough bamboo"_ he thought. Suddenly he saw a glint through the corner of his eyes. Sasuke took the bangle and put it in his inner pocket. He clenched his jaw and grabbed his sword as he bolted out of the room. "An intruder is on the loose! Search for him!" he alarmed the guards. All nearby guards dispersed in every direction, while Sasuke made his way to Monobe's room.

As he got closer, loud sound of blades clashing was heard. Sasuke rushed in. A man wearing a mask was fighting with Monobe. Then the two men back-off from each other after their blades clashed, as both immediately turned to Sasuke. "Back me up!" yelled Monobe. Sasuke eyed them both, shifting his gaze in between his father and the masked man.

_'__Remember your real family'_, Naruto's words suddenly rang in Sasuke's head. "Sasuke!" yelled Monobe and that snapped Sasuke from his trance. He gripped tightly at the sword's handle and charged forward. Naruto stood firm on his feet while Monobe in a stance as Sasuke was coming. As Naruto expected, Sasuke stood beside Monobe, while pointing his sword towards him.

_"__So, that's your answer, Sasuke"_ thought Naruto. "I'll lead the attack, you back me up!" shouted Monobe. Sasuke looked at his father and nodded. "Yarrgh!" shouted Monobe as he charged towards Naruto. Naruto also at the same time charged towards Monobe, but he dodged by heads down and went behind Monobe. Naruto then turned and wanted to strike Monobe. But Monobe managed to parry the attack quickly. "You are indeed fast as they say" said Naruto. "Well, you're not bad yourself" said Monobe.

As Sasuke's blade was inches away from slashing Naruto's back, Naruto quickly dodged to the sides. "That was close" said Naruto as he looked at them both. _"It's two against one. This is unfavorable" _thought Naruto. Just as Naruto thought of a plan to escape, both father and son charged at him. Naruto parried their attacks with all his might till he was cornered. "Ugh" grunted Naruto. _"It's now or never!" _thought Naruto and threw a ball to the floor which exploded to a smoke screen. "Wh-what?" yelled Monobe as he covered his mouth with his sleeve. "Sasuke where are-" Monobe's shout stopped as he saw a blade was going straight towards Sasuke in the midst of the smoke.

Naruto's lips twirled into a slight smirk. "Ugh!", a voice grunted in pain from behind Sasuke. Sasuke quickly turned only to saw his father was right behind him. Then he realized that a bloody blade was being stabbed through Monobe's chest by Naruto. "To-san…" muttered Sasuke as he grabbed hold of his father. "Are you… okay?" asked Monobe in cracked voice. Sasuke was stunned and he nodded absentmindedly at his father. He knew that his father sacrificed himself to save him.

Naruto had finished his mission. He had stabbed Monobe at his vital point. And seeing the shocked Sasuke that was cradling his dying father, he made his way to the window. "To-san… why did you—" Sasuke was then cut off when Monobe stopped breathing. "To-san! To-san!" cried Sasuke, embracing his dead father. When he looked up, Naruto was by the window looking at him. "I'm protecting my family too" muttered Naruto before he escaped.

Sasuke was frozen at his place when Takizawa and the guards rushed into the room. They were all stunned at the scene before their eyes. "To-san!" yelled Takizawa as he paced towards Sasuke. He was breathing hard at the view of his father's dead body. In anger, Takizawa unsheathed his sword and pointed it to Sasuke's neck.

"You! You've killed to-san?!" he accused Sasuke. "No, it's the assassin!" replied Sasuke, backing away. Takizawa was full of rage. Tears streaming down his cheeks and he was determined that Sasuke was the killer. "Arrest him!" he yelled to the guards. Sasuke had no other choice but to fight them all. As he was started to break, he too, resolved to escape. He went closer to the window while shielding himself from the attacks.

"Don't let him get away!" yelled Takizawa. But Sasuke quickly find his way to the window when suddenly a sharp pain was felt. "Argh!" he grunted. As the sword was pulled away from him, he forced himself to jump off the window. "Dead or alive, find him!" yelled Takizawa and that was the last thing Sasuke could hear as he made his way out from the mansion and into the dark forest.

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**A/N: New arc had started. One more new important character will be reveal in the next chapter. Happy reading!**


	26. Refuge

**Disclaimer: Standard.**

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**Chapter 25: Refuge**

**XXX**

Sasuke stopped for awhile, leaning at a tree. All he could hear was his own irregular breathing. He turned to look behind and no one was seems to follow him anymore. "Arghh…" he grunted as he started to move again. His lower left abdomen was stabbed by one of the guards before and now was bleeding profusely. He pressed at the wound to reduce the stinging pain. Sasuke continued walking deeper into the forest to safety while his vision started to become blurry from losing too much blood. Even breathing felt like a sin now as his whole body was in pain.

Then he stopped again as snow started to fall. "Great…" he smirked bitterly as he looked up to the sky. The white snow was falling, contrasting the inky dark night sky. Roaring sound of the river could be heard clearly as Sasuke was just a few feet from it. After reaching the river in difficulty, Sasuke knelt down. He grunted all the way down to bring his knees to the ground. Looking at his blood drenched clothe, Sasuke forced a smile. _"We'll meet soon, Amisa…"_ he thought.

**XXX**

Naruto was in his room, sitting silently by the bedside. He just had met Neji, reporting on his last mission. The Hyuuga heir was pleased by his success in assassinating Monobe. However Naruto could not dismissed the trouble he had in his chest. The turmoil was too much for him, it clutched tightly to his heart. "I've killed so many people before this, but why?!"

_'__THUD'_

Unconsciously, he hit the side table. His eyes were shut tightly while his chest rise and drop rapidly. _"Good job. So Kaguryu won't be a threat anymore…"_. Neji's voice echoed in his head. Muscles in Naruto's face constricted. Sasuke's image ran through his head. "What have I done?" Naruto groaned silently. He could not remove the agony in Sasuke's eyes from his head when he stabbed Monobe to death. _"Why can't I feel normal as I used to?" _he thought silently.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata called out to him, entering the room. Naruto's eyes widened slightly, being snapped from his thought. He turned to her. "What are you doing?" she asked, walking towards her husband. "I'm sorry…" said Naruto as he got up, "I want to be alone…" and left the room. Hinata was startled. She wondered if Naruto's last mission was pressuring him.

**XXX**

_'__Sasuke-kun…'_ Amisa's voice was calling for him. Sasuke could hear her voice but she was nowhere to be seen. Everything was pitch black. _'Wake up, Sasuke-kun…'_ her voice echoed in his head. With a deep grunt, Sasuke's eyes fluttered open. No one was around and he knew it was just a dream. As he adjusted to the light, he could perceive the wooden ceiling above him. _"Where am I?"_ was all he could think about.

After some time of gathering his strength, Sasuke forced himself to sit. He hissed at the throbbing pain he felt on his left stomach; he pressed on it. He was breathing heavily and sheen of sweat formed at his temple because of the pain. _"So… I'm still alive…"_ he thought, as he looked down at his wound. Sasuke realized that he was topless and the wound was bandaged.

Sasuke looked around him. The room was simple and small, with a small window next to him. Smell of herbs and spices filled the room completely. And yet he had no idea of where he is. Suddenly, the door slide opened. A pink haired lady peered through the gap. Both of them looked at each other in wonder. The lady gave Sasuke a surprise look while he replied with his usual poker face. Suddenly she gaped in surprise. "You're… you're awake?" she said and made her way to Sasuke.

The said guy was eyeing the lady that was attending to his wound. She even removed Sasuke's hand that was pressing on the wound moments before. "Look! You've make the wound bleed again!" she was sort of angry. Sasuke did not say anything but flinching slightly as the lady was now so close to him. "You shouldn't move too much" she muttered, while removing the blood soaked bandages and cleaning the wound.

Sasuke grunted at the pain while she cleaned the blood. The lady looked up at him. "Sorry, I need you to hold a little longer…" she said. Her voice was firm and confident. Sasuke obeyed and tried to breathe as slowly as he could to reduce the pain. He eyed the lady closely. Her pink hair intrigued him the most and her smell, _"She smells of flower…"_ he thought. And her sweet smell infiltrated his lungs as she was dangerously close to him.

After finishing with the new bandage, the lady looked up to him again. Her cheeks were tinted light pink, maybe because of their close distance. "Umm… it's done" she muttered. She could not help it but blushed at the handsome guy in front of her. She had imagined of how he would look like if he was conscious and now he was sitting right in front of her. _"He's… gorgeous"_ she thought, unconsciously smiling.

"Who are you?" asked Sasuke. The lady was snapped from her thought. "M-Me?" she stuttered. "I'm Haruno Sakura…" she said, softly. "You… saved me?" muttered Sasuke, somehow narrowed his eyes. Sakura nodded, "Mm-hmm…". Then she quickly shook her head, making Sasuke confused. "No, no… If you mean that I carried you here, of course that's impossible… Two merchants stopped by the river and found you. You're lucky that they found you earlier" she said, ending with a sigh. "The weather is cold and the snow is getting thicker… that's what I mean…" she continued.

"But why are you treating me?" asked Sasuke. Sakura tilted her head in confusion. "Because… you're wounded…?" she said. Sasuke snorted at her reply. "What if I'm a killer? You've just saved a killer's life…" he said. Sakura's eyes were widened in shock. "Look at my wound… maybe people is after me…" Sasuke continued. However, Sakura smiled slightly. "A killer or not, you're injured and you're my patient" she said.

Sasuke was amused by her answer. "Where's my stuff?" he then asked. "Oh, you mean…" Sakura pointed to the small drawer behind Sasuke. The guy turned slightly, looking over his shoulder. His clothes was cleaned and folded nicely, with his sword place on top. "The other one?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Sakura gaped slightly at his question but as her mind managed to grasp his meaning, she got up and walked over the dresser. Sasuke simply eyed her.

Sakura took out something from the clothes. "You mean, this?" she held a bangle in her hand, showing it to Sasuke. The guy exhaled in relieves. "Give it to me" he demanded. Sakura smiled slightly, not flinching. "It's pretty…" she held the bangle high to her face, admiring the flower carving on the blue-green jade. Sasuke's eyebrow knitted closer. "Hand it now…" he said, slightly annoyed in his tone.

"I guess this is important to you… and must cost a fortune" Sakura peeked at the guy on the futon. He looks angry but he was helpless since he could not move so much. "Who is she? She must be so lucky to have this…" Sakura walked closer to Sasuke. The guy glared at her angrily. "So, she must be pretty isn't it?" she asked, smiling brightly. Sasuke turned his gaze away. "She's dead…" he muttered. Sakura gaped at what she just heard. Her stomach dropped. "I… I'm, sorry…" said Sakura as she walked over to Sasuke, handing the bangle over.

"Anyway, what's your name?" Sakura put a slight smile across her lips. "Sasuke…" he did not look at her, "Uchiha Sasuke". "Okay, Sasuke-kun… I'll get something for you to eat and drink. Since you've been _asleep_ for three straight days…" said Sakura as she got up. "Three days?" muttered Sasuke in disbelief.

**XXX**

"It's been three days and you haven't found anything at all?!" Takizawa hit the table in front of him, making all the things on it fell to the _tatami_ mat. The two men in front of him lowered their head, looking to the floor. "We… we've been searching all over the place and along the river" said one of them. "Even at the end of the river… maybe his body had sunk" said another man. Takizawa sneered at them, gritting his teeth. "Cut it! I won't stay still until you find his body!" he yelled, pointing to the door. The men went out.

Since his father's death, Takizawa took over the position as Kaguryu's head. He even led the dojo and give out orders for the clan. Nami was devastated too, both at her father's death and Sasuke's betrayal. She was not sure of the fact about Sasuke betraying the family but Takizawa was threatening her. _He_ was threatening everyone in the family, not to mention of the traitor's name.

"Sa-su-ke…" he said under his breath. Takizawa could only imagine death to Sasuke. "Nii-san… the ceremony is starting…" said Nami, from the small gap of the door. Takizawa nodded weakly. _"To-san… I'll avenge you. I promise!"_ he thought as he left his late father's room.

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**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. I just think that it should stop here. Anyway, Sakura is now in. Happy reading!**


	27. Turmoil

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narutoverse but the plot/storyline is!**

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**XxXxX**

Naruto panted from the training he just had. His hands grip tight at the _shinai_ while his eyes stared blankly at the bamboo plants. "Naruto…" Neji called out to the blonde.

Slowly, Naruto composed himself and turned to his in-law. "Yes?" he asked. His voice was low and his eyes were fixated at Neji's. The Hyuuga head did not falter. He kept his eyes on Naruto while he walked towards him.

"Don't train alone…" said Neji while he flashed a smirk at Naruto. The blonde turned away, sighing. Neji's smile had caught him off guard. "I just don't want to disturb you, nii-san…" he said.

Neji let out a sighed and snatched the _shinai_ from Naruto and immediately attacking the blonde. Naruto was startled. The _shinai_ was directed to his head without any hold back from Neji. In a swift motion, Naruto composed himself and caught the tip in the nick of time with his hands.

"Good!" said Neji as he pulled the _shinai_ away. Naruto was breathing heavily and gritted his teeth while staring at Neji. "That was sudden!" he managed to say. Neji let out a faint chuckle and returned the wooden stick to him.

"That's the point. I wanna see if you're still here, on earth…" Neji jokingly said. Naruto squinted at him. "And that really got me…" Naruto replied. "You seem distance lately… I mean it, Naruto. What's wrong?" asked Neji. Naruto blinked at him. "No- nothing's wrong though…" he chuckled.

However, Neji was still staring at him, unsatisfied with his answer. "You can't lie to me. Since the last mission, you're all space out" Neji commented, making Naruto sighed. The blonde wanted to just get out of the place, ignoring Neji. But Neji is one persistent in-law.

"Something happened?" Neji kept on asking while Naruto ran his hand through his hair. "Nothing. Maybe I was just tired…" Naruto let out a sigh. "Don't worry… I'll be fine" he added.

Neji nodded although he did not believe it. "Alright then. Just wanna tell you, we're going to the Kaguryu's in two days" he said. Naruto felt his stomach churned for no reason. The mention of Kaguryu reminded him of Monobe's death and Sasuke's agonizing face. And it made him unconsciously grasped his hands.

**:::/:::**

"I'm sorry for your lost, Takizawa-dono" said Neji as he replied the bow. Naruto followed after him, while staring deeply at Takizawa. "Thank you. We're still in deep grief…" said Takizawa with a forced smile on his face as he led Neji and Naruto to the main house. "Thus, pardon us for the gloomy atmosphere and the dull clothing we're wearing…" he then added.

"Ah- I understand, Dono…" Neji quickly appended. "Don't worry about us…" he then peeked on Naruto. The blonde shrugged slightly in response. The two policemen followed Takizawa to the main hall.

"Have a seat…" said Takizawa. Neji and Naruto nodded. "So, I've called for local police regarding this…" Takizawa started, as he handed over the report to Neji. "…but I guess calling the nation head police department is even better. And the report have pretty much every details on the murder" he added.

Neji simply nodded as he browsed through the report. "It was stated here that your step-brother is the murderer? And he's on the loose?" asked Neji. The statement in the report did put some peace in his heart. However, Naruto was startled. He looked at the Kaguryu's chief in wonder. "Why'd you say so?" he asked.

Both Takizawa and Neji turned to the blonde. "I mean, why would you blame your own brother?" Naruto appended to his previous question. Takizawa was clearly ticked off at the question. His face muscles constricted and his jaw was clenched in anger.

"He's no brother!" he said. His voice was heavy as if he wanted to scream it out loud but kept it in somehow. "That traitor! He killed my father!" he continued and looked down to his lap. Both Naruto and Neji were stunned. Especially Naruto. _"Sasuke… he blamed him…"_ he thought silently.

Meanwhile Neji inhaled deeply in relieve as he was sure that Naruto was clear of accusation. "But it seems that the investigation did not end up good. They haven't found any clue to this…" said Neji.

Takizawa sighed and nodded. "Yes, I even have my own men searched the river and forest, but to no avail… I won't believe that he's dead if I haven't found the body!" he said. Naruto was frowning deeply. Heavy feeling lingered in his heart. His worst fear was real. "He was injured?" muttered the blonde.

"Hm… yes. I stabbed him but he managed to get away…" explained Takizawa. Least that he knew, Naruto was glaring at him. The blonde gripped his hands while his thought wandered about Sasuke. He was angry and fearful at the same time. He might be the death of Sasuke. _"Damn it!"_ he cussed inwardly.

Then, they were all heading to the room of where Monobe died. Naruto was trailing them from behind while his mind was filled with regrets and dreads. He could not seem to focus at the moment as he eyed the young Kaguryu's chief.

"This room was untouched, except by the policemen. That is the exact spot of where my father's lay, dead…" Takizawa's voice was trailing while he frowned deeply. Neji walked around the room and stopped by the window. "So, he escaped through this window?" he asked.

Takizawa nodded in response. "I was regretting it that my father never listen to me. I've always knew that the traitor Uchiha Sasuke will eventually turn his back on us!" yelled Takizawa. The mention of 'Uchiha Sasuke' made Neji stunned and he turned to look at Naruto. Clearly, the blonde was uneasy, as he glared at Takizawa.

"He's ungrateful—" said Takizawa before he was cut in by Naruto. "It's not true!" yelled the blonde angrily. Neji shut his eyes. He knew that Naruto was angry as they both knew who the real murderer was. _"Naruto… not now…"_ he thought.

However, Takizawa kept calm as he was mostly puzzled. "What are you saying, ?" he asked, eyes narrowed. Fortunately, Naruto realized the situation quick. "I meant- we couldn't determine the truth of this situation yet. We have to investigate further…" he muttered.

The Kaguryu's chief looked at him silently as if he was contemplating Naruto. However, Naruto did not falter from the stare, to hold his proposition. Takizawa turned away, sighing. "Yes, then it's your work…" he said.

Neji exhaled in relieve. "Don't worry, Takizawa-dono. We'll do our best in this matter…" said Neji as he bowed. He then turned to the distressed Naruto. The Hyuuga looked at him in concern. "We're going now. I'll arrange a team to come here soon…" said Neji.

**:::/:::**

"What was that just now?! You almost blow our cover!" asked Neji, hands on his waist. They were in an inn outside of Iwa. Naruto sat on the bedside silently. "I'm also shocked when he mentioned Sasuke, but…" Neji sighed.

"Sorry, I was just being emotional…" muttered Naruto. Neji nodded slightly. He never expect this turn of event. "Uchiha Sasuke… he's involved with Kaguryu?" asked Neji. Naruto refused to look at Neji. He had a lot of things running in his mind. He nodded somehow.

"How long are you planning on hiding this?" Neji sighed. He too, took a sit on the _tatami _mat across of Naruto. "I don't intend to… I was surprised, that Sasuke is one of Kaguryu's…" answered Naruto.

"Since when? The night of the murder?" Neji sighed. "But how could you never know that he was one of them? He's been visiting us like multiples of time…" he added. Then something struck in him. "Is he the intruder that almost killed me?" he asked. Naruto's eyes were widened.

"Naruto, tell me the truth…" said Neji. Naruto sighed loudly. "Yes, the intruder that night… I saw him" said Naruto.

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**A/N: Sorry for the extreme late update. I was losing muse for this story. But now I got it back. Like, RIGHT NOW!**

**Thanks for reading. I hope I'm not fucked up! Cheers!**


	28. The Pain

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narutoverse except the plot/storyline here.**

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**XXXXXX**

Neji covered the victim's face with a cloth. He was early at the murder scene with his team. "It happened last night. The maid found them dead earlier this morning…" said one of his colleagues. Neji nodded as he narrowed his eyes at the murdered victims. "Father and son, huh?" muttered Neji. "Do we have any clue?" he then asked. The colleague shook his head.

A bad feeling lingered in Neji's heart. He had not seen Naruto at all since last night and not even at the police station. And the fact that it was a clean murder, no clue and no sign of hesitation, had Neji feeling uneasy. _"Did Naruto… really did this?"_ he silently thought.

Meanwhile, Naruto was on the bed, shuffling and grunting uncomfortably. His eyes were shut tightly but he was sweating in his sleep.

**::Flashback::**

_Naruto gasped and panted and his hands shook terribly. The sword dropped with a loud clank. "This- This isn't real!" he muttered in between his heavy breathing. His eyes widened at the horrible sight before his eyes. It was a bloody mess of someone he did not even know his name._

_"__ARGHH!" Naruto screamed and fell on his knees to the ground. He had a hard time recalling the scene and anything at all that led to him getting blood on his hands. Suddenly a soft gasp was heard._

_Naruto's head turned instantly at the noise and saw a young boy sobbing by the door. And the next thing Naruto realized was the boy fell to the floor with pool of blood beneath him._

**::End of flashback::**

"Naruto-kun?!" Hinata called out to her husband that was having nightmare. She shook Naruto's arm to wake him up. With a slight jolt, Naruto awakened and was breathing hard. His eyes were wide opened. "You're having a nightmare…" said Hinata as she tried to comfort Naruto.

The blonde was still puzzled. It felt so real that he wanted to puke. "When— when did I get here, Hinata?" he said breathlessly. The wife looked at him in confusion. "Well, you're not here the whole night. I thought you're having a night shift…" she muttered.

Naruto frowned deeply at her. "I don't—" he said and trailed off as his mind painfully trying to remember anything from the last night event. He looked at both his hands and nothing seems peculiar. No blood, not even a drop on his clothing too. _"So, it could be true… or is it just a nightmare"_ he thought silently. "Hinata… I'm fine now. Sorry for making you worry about me" he said.

**::/::**

And later that day, Naruto received shocking news about the murder that happened in the outskirt of the village last night. "Where were you last night?" asked Neji. Naruto shook his head slightly. "It wasn't me… I don't think that it was me…" he muttered. The police chief frowned at him.

"What are you saying, Naruto? I'm asking you, where were you last night?" Neji repeated. Naruto looked at him in devastation, as if he was bothered by something. And yet, he is. The details of the recent murder were awfully the same as his nightmare. He made a mental note to check his _shinai_-sword as soon as he gets home. "Did you get anything about the murder?" he asked.

Neji shrugged. "Nothing. As if it was a random murder. The victims' record are clean, no debt, no enemy. So, I guess it wasn't loan shark or anything related to grudge" Neji explained. Naruto's hands were shaking and he turned pale. He was convinced that it was him now. Neji stared at the anxious blonde.

"Naruto… are you alright?" asked Neji. the question made Naruto jolted in shocked as he was snapped from his thought. his eyes widened and his breath started to pick up. "I- I don't feel so good…" muttered Naruto as he got up from the seat hastily.

The Hyuuga head raised an eyebrow at Naruto's awkward attitude as it raised suspicion within him. "Fine, go get some rest… I'll see you at home" replied Neji as he watched Naruto eagerly leaving the office.

**::/::**

Naruto arrived at the Hyuuga mansion and paced his way towards his room. All he had in his mind were the _shinai-_sword and the last night murder. _"Have I gone insane?"_ he thought silently. He walked fast and ignored everything else including the maids that walked by him.

As soon as he arrived at his room, Naruto swung the door open. Immediately, he took out the _shinai_ and pulled the sword out. His eyes were widened. "It's clean…" he mumbled while observing the blade for anything at all. But nothing, he found nothing, just like his clothes. The blonde sighed in relieved.

But a sudden realization hit him. Naruto shut his eyes as he knew how much of an attentive person he is. He must have cleaned everything thoroughly. "_If it's true, why did I kill them?"_ he silently thought. He questioned his own sanity as he could not recall anything about murdering some random villagers.

Suddenly a thud snapped him from his thought. Quickly, Naruto turned away and sheathed the sword. "Naruto-kun? You're early…" said Hinata as she came into the room. Naruto inhaled deeply, in hopes that she did not caught him with the sword. "I'm not feeling well… that's why nii-san released me from duty early today…" he replied, putting the _shinai_ away.

Naruto walked towards his wife and embraced her while rubbing her belly softly. "So, how's your day?" he asked. "Fine… but what are you doing just now?" she asked while tilting her head, looking at the table behind them. Naruto cupped her face. "Nothing… I was just checking the kendo stick." he replied.

Hinata frowned at him. "You should get some rest now, if you're not okay. " she asked while putting her palm over his forehead. Naruto nodded. "Fine. I'll take a short nap after this…" he replied.

**::/::**

While Naruto's mind was still in a wrecked, he practiced alone in the dojo. Every swift movement he made was a mere mask to what he had in his mind. He was thinking about the murder and even Sasuke's whereabouts.

"Naruto…" said a voice.

Naruto gasped and he blinked. His hands immediately stopped and his _shinai_ was only an inch away from hitting Neji's head. Instantly, Naruto pulled his hands away.

"Nii-san! I'm sorry!" he bowed to Neji.

The Hyuuga head frowned at him. "What's in your mind, Naruto?" he asked. Naruto glanced at him. He did not dare to look Neji in the eyes.

Neji trailed his gaze towards Naruto's _shinai_. It was gripped tightly in Naruto's hand, as if he was in anger or nervousness. "Calm and precision go together in kendo. That…" he pointed to the stick. "…is nothing near those two. What's in your mind?".

Slowly, Naruto calmed down and he turned away slightly. "Did- Did I killed them?" he muttered. "Am I a murderer?" he continued to whispered.

"Did you?" asked Neji in return. Naruto looked at him again. His eyebrows furrowed deeply. "I don't know. Maybe… and maybe not. And I was concerned about so many things lately…" he said.

"I know. I can see that…" Neji replied as he sat on the tatami mat. Naruto stared at him silently. "Naruto… let's sit and have a talk…" he calmly stated.

The blonde hesitated at first, as he only wanted to get away from all the questions but he surrendered. Finally, Naruto sat with Neji. "What do you wanna talk about?" asked the blonde.

"Just a little talk, Naruto. Let's start with… last night. Why did you do it?" asked Neji. Naruto's eyes were widened. "Do what?" he asked in return.

"The murder…" replied Neji simply. For some moments, Naruto did not answer. He tried to figure out Neji's real intention. "So, you knew that it was me?" asked Naruto. He smirked.

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**A/N: Hey. Sorry that I took a very damn long time to update this. Since I took those time to plot the storyline.**

**Anyway, cheers! And thank you.**


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